The government reiterated its commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in managing funds from the country’s extractive sector, including oil, gas, and other natural resources.
The commitment comes as the latest extractive industry report shows that companies disclosed about 261 million shillings in social expenditure during the 2023/2024 financial year.
State Minister for Planning Amos Lugoloobi made the call at the 10th Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Global Conference in Brussels, Belgium, where he represented Uganda and shared the country’s experience since joining the initiative in 2020.
“I therefore make a call for other oil and mineral producing countries to ensure that resources are used transparently and in an accountable way for the benefit of the citizens,” Lugoloobi said.
The disclosures are contained in the Uganda EITI Report for Fiscal Year 2023/2024, published in June 2026.
The report records 198.66 million shillings in mandatory social expenditure declared by CNOOC Uganda Ltd, 62.24 million shillings by Sino Minerals Investments Company Ltd, and one million shillings in discretionary social expenditure by Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) Ltd.
The combined social spending reported by the three companies was 261.9 million shillings.
EITI report, June 2026, records 300.16 million shillings in mandatory environmental expenditure declared by CNOOC.
These figures are company disclosures and should not be confused with tax revenues paid to government or the full value of companies’ activities in communities.
The disclosures put the spotlight on how extractive companies account for their contributions to communities affected by oil and mineral projects, as international discussions increasingly focus on ensuring that the growing demand for natural resources translates into tangible benefits for citizens.
The 2023/2024 report provides details of social and environmental expenditure reported by five companies: CNOOC Uganda, Tororo Cement, Sino Minerals Investments, Wagagai Mining and Direct Reduced Iron.
The report also lists 592.49 million shillings in payments to regional authorities by CNOOC, Tororo Cement, Sino Minerals and Wagagai Mining. These are reported separately from social expenditure.
The disclosures illustrate the importance of distinguishing between taxes, payments to government authorities, legally required social contributions and voluntary corporate spending.
Without consistent reporting, it is difficult for citizens to establish what companies are required to provide, what they actually spend, and who benefits.
Under the EITI framework, social expenditure reporting is intended to make companies’ contributions to local development more transparent, including the beneficiaries and the basis for the payments.
UGEITI’s latest report includes detailed disclosures. The figures also show why the quality and completeness of company reporting matter when assessing the benefits communities receive from extraction.
Lugoloobi said Uganda’s participation in EITI had widened engagement between government, industry and civil society, providing a platform for dialogue on the management of extractive resources and their contribution to national development.
He said access to information and data had supported policy discussions and helped create a favourable environment for investment.
“The EITI framework has enabled policymakers to examine the contribution of the extractive sector to the economy and to understand the significance of the whole value chain of the extractive sector, not forgetting the challenges faced that need our attention,” Lugoloobi said.
He added that the government was committed to using natural resources to finance infrastructure, provide social services and improve the lives of Ugandans.
The Uganda EITI report, which covers July 2023 to June 2024, also examines extractive revenues, production and exports, revenue allocation, environmental management and the sector’s contribution to the economy. It is part of Uganda’s reporting obligations under EITI, a global initiative that brings governments, companies and civil society together to improve transparency in the extractive industries.
Lugoloobi said the government remained committed to transparency in the extractive industry and that EITI would continue to contribute to the country’s national development process.
The conference examined how transparency can move beyond publishing information to influence decisions, improve accountability and ensure communities benefit from extraction.
Outgoing EITI Board Chair Helen Clark warned that competition for strategic resources should not weaken oversight. “Transparency matters more in periods of rapid change, not less,” she said.
Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, highlighted opportunities for resource-rich countries to diversify their economies and create jobs.
Marie-Chantal Kaninda, President of Glencore DRC and Board Chair of Kamoto Copper Company, said trust depended on accurate information and open dialogue, with communities having a role in shaping development priorities.
Sessions examined how countries can mobilise extractive revenues for domestic development, use environmental disclosures to strengthen public oversight and address illicit gold flows and gaps between reported exports and import data.
Discussions also covered transparency in state-owned enterprises, responsible investment and the use of data and artificial intelligence to improve revenue mobilisation.
Maria van der Hoeven, the new EITI Board Chair, highlighted the potential of better data and technology while emphasising the need to protect the initiative’s multi-stakeholder approach.
The challenge for Uganda and other countries is not only to disclose information about the oil and mining industries but also to ensure that the information can be used to assess revenues, company obligations and the benefits reaching communities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
