KEY POINTS
- Uganda will launch a new oil exploration licensing round in the 2026/2027 financial year.
- The exercise will target the Albertine Graben and new frontier basins to expand reserves.
- Only 40% of Uganda’s oil-rich region has been explored, with new surveys ongoing in additional basins.
Uganda has announced plans to launch a fresh oil exploration licensing round in the 2026/2027 financial year, as the country prepares to begin commercial crude production later this year.
The move is aimed at increasing its oil reserves and attracting new investment into the sector.
Speaking at a petroleum conference, Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa revealed that the upcoming round will include new exploration blocks in the Albertine Graben as well as other frontier basins.
Uganda’s previous licensing round, launched in 2019 and concluded in 2023, offered five blocks to investors.
Untapped Potential and New Exploration Areas
Uganda’s proven oil reserves are estimated at about 6.5 billion barrels, all located within the Albertine Graben, which stretches along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, authorities say only about 40% of the region has been explored. The government is also conducting early-stage surveys in new basins, including Moroto-Kadam in the north and Kyoga in the northeast.
Uganda’s current oil fields are jointly operated by TotalEnergies, CNOOC, and the state-owned Uganda National Oil Company, reflecting strong international partnerships in the country’s oil sector.
