The Impact of the Oil and Gas Exploitation Projects on the Environment in Western Uganda 

This paper aims at examining environmental issues related to the oil and gas project. It will explore the efficacy of environmental management during execution of oil and gas exploitation projects in Uganda. There are many environmental issues that have arisen in the oil and gas rich areas of Uganda during execution of oil and gas projects which indeed need to be effectively managed. The main objectives of the paper are to: examine the nature of the environment in areas where oil and gas projects are being executed in western Uganda and to analyse the environmental issues related to the oil and gas projects in western Uganda. The research adopted a purely qualitative approach under exploratory design using interviewing, observation and documents review methods. The data collected was analysed by the researchers using narratives and descriptions. The findings of the study revealed that the region in which the oil and gas projects are being executed plays a big role in contributing to the economy of Uganda. Secondly, the Albertine area of western Uganda has got great opportunities for execution of oil and gas projects amidst high value biodiversity and ecosystems. Unfortunately the implementation of such oil and gas projects amidst such high value biodiversity and ecosystems is being associated with some negative environmental impact.