As TotalEnergies' oil project in Uganda and Tanzania faces strong opposition from activists and environmental groups, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said that nothing will stop the development of oil fields in the East African country.
The head of state was speaking after a meeting with foreign investors in London:« Le projet pétrolier (projet EACOP, ndlr) est dans les temps et rien ne l’arrêtera. Nous sommes engagés en faveur de l’environnement, c’est pourquoi nous développons notre industrie des véhicules électriques. » he said.
The $10 billion deal was signed earlier this year between the French company TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation.
It includes the development of Ugandan oil fields and the shipment of crude oil through a 1,445 kilometre (900 mile) pipeline to a Tanzanian port in the Indian Ocean.
« Le carbone n’est pas le problème, le problème est la cupidité des mauvais utilisateurs, de ceux qui font un mauvais usage. Mais pour nous, nous ne pouvons pas faire partie de cela. Nous l’utiliserons aussi longtemps que nécessaire, puis nous passerons à l’électrique. » added Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
During Cop 27 last month, President Yoweri Musevni denounced the hypocrisy of European countries when Africa's carbon footprint is the smallest of any continent, accounting for about three per cent of global CO2 emissions.
He blasted Europe's return to coal-fired power stations in the face of the energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine, while calling on African nations not to use fossil fuels.