Photo: Hajarah Nalwadda/AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda
Uganda has christened its first commercial crude oil "Pearl Sweet" as it prepares to become East Africa's newest oil exporter before the end of 2026.
Initial output is expected from the Kingfisher field at around 28,000 barrels a day, rising toward a peak capacity of 230,000 bpd as the wider Lake Albert development and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline to the Tanzanian coast come fully online.
For a resource whose ownership and revenue terms have been argued over for more than a decade, first export is the real test of whether oil wealth translates into public benefit rather than extraction alone. Regional scrutiny is expected to fall on revenue transparency and environmental oversight along the pipeline corridor once shipments begin.
