Winning from oil winning?
When oil exploitation starts, we fear for the environment; we think of multi-nationals making big sums of money without consideration for the local people. Is it possible for local people to win too from oil winning?
Early 2008 a Trias advisor coincidentally met a delegation of Tullow Oil people in the Bunyoro area (West Uganda). They were investigating possibilities for meeting their 'social responsibilities' as part of their activities in oil winning along Lake Albert. They aimed at offering support to the area in health, education, infrastructure, and agriculture, using local partner organisations.
The advisor explained the Participative Agro-Enterprise Development (PAED) programme which Trias and its partners are carrying out in Bunyoro, whereby the farmers are in the driver’s seat and, based on market research, select profitable agro-enterprises. She suggested that Tullow Oil would cooperate with Trias, to ensure complementarity of their activities.
The Trias PAED programme targets a limited number of sub-counties in the district, leaving out the area near Lake Albert targeted by Tullow, which has a totally different environment and population. The PAED methodology could, however, cater very well for these farmers, as it allows them to select their own specific, viable and marketable enterprises, based on their own market research. Tullow would save a lot of preparatory work, and could tap from the thorough preparations, baseline information and experience of Trias and its partners in the region.
Tullow agreed to meet the Trias Regional Coordinator in Kampala. A concept was worked out for rolling out the Trias PAED programme to Lake Albert side. The concept was discussed between the Boards of Tullow and Trias, and an agreement was made for Trias to coordinate a project with funds from Tullow for 'Raising the Food and Income Security of Poor Farm Households bordering Lake Albert (Hoima and Buliisa Districts)'.
Tullow provided funds for trainings, field staff, computer equipment, operational costs and co-funding of the partners’ new office blocks under construction. By the end of 2010, 1,185 poor farm households along Lake Albert were reached. The cooperation was a success, trust was built, and Tullow extended the project for another 2 years (2011-2012), with prospects for long-term cooperation.
Who is winning from the oil winning? With little effort, Tullow achieves sustainable support to the local population. Trias contributed to an increased support for its target group. The partner organisations receive more capacity building and are able to strike a better balance in supporting members throughout their districts. More poor farm families are capacitated to make money out of agriculture and improve their livelihoods.