The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Uganda held a dinner to send off the winners of their International Scholarship Program.
The dinner, held at the Serena HOTEL in Kampala, was attended by various stakeholders from both the public and private sectors as well as CNOOC management and employees.
Speaking at the dinner, Mr. Chen Kai, the Head of Human Resource at CNOOC Uganda, said that this International scholarship program is part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility activities, which in partnership with the Chinese Embassy in Uganda is aimed at offering opportunities in higher education to Ugandan nationals.
This year, one hundred and fifty Ugandans applied for the program. After a rigorous screening process, five people emerged winners; with three of them winning scholarships to study the Bachelors’ Degree in Petroleum Engineering and the other two winning scholarships for the Masters’ Degree in Oil and Gas Engineering.
All five students will pursue their studies at the University of Petroleum in Hua Dong, China which is directly affiliated to the Ministry of Education and boasts of a complete education system, nearly 20,000 full-time undergraduates, over 5,000 postgraduates, about 700 overseas students and more than 70,000 registered correspondence network students. According to Mr. Xiao, “The overwhelming number of applications we received for this year’s scholarship opportunity shows that there is a budding interest in the Oil and Gas sector amongst Ugandan nationals. CNOOC’s commitment is therefore to support these students, want to actively participate in the developing Oil and Gas Industry in Uganda.”
“The scholarship winners are going to be fully supported by CNOOC Uganda which will cater for both their tuition fees and living allowances. We believe that when our scholarship winners return to Uganda, they will take up active roles in the fast-growing Oil and Gas industry,” Kai added.
Patrick Kabanda, one of the recipients of a scholarship for the Masters’ Program in Oil and Gas Well Engineering expressed his excitement at the opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the Oil and Gas industry. “I am eager to acquire the knowledge and skills that will make me a valuable resource to Uganda’s Oil and Gas industry.”
“I believe we need more local skilled laborers in the Uganda Oil and Gas industry and this scholarship will give me the chance to be part of this workforce,” commented Ruth Nassazi, who won a scholarship for a Bachelors’ Degree in Petroleum Engineering.
The Guest of Honor and State Minister for Minerals, Honorable Peter Lokeris commended CNOOC for the initiative. “I would like to commend CNOOC for giving back to the country in which they are operating. It is important for Ugandans to learn about what is a new and viable industry in order to be able to take advantage of the employment opportunities therein. We also need Ugandans offering technical support to the international companies that are already operating in the oil and gas industry.”
“I encourage the winners to use this opportunity very seriously and translate the knowledge and skills that they acquire into a means of improving their lives and building the oil industry in Uganda,” he added.
