The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) has pledged its support to developing oil and gas operations in Uganda as the country prepares to achieve first oil in the Lake Albert basin.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the country's minister of petroleum resources Diezani Alison-Madueke called for greater cooperation between the two nations as she met her Ugandan counterpart Peter Lokeris.

"Nigeria is ready to develop a robust partnership with Uganda to ensure the speedy development of her petroleum sector in the spirit of African brotherhood," she told the minister.

Responding, Mr Lokeris explained that Uganda will need substantial assistance in training and technological development as the country aims to process and refine all crude collected from the Lake Albert basin domestically.

As a landlocked nation, Uganda would pay an uncompetitive premium to have the crude processed and refined externally, he added.

Tullow, one of the major stakeholders in the country, has also been investing in training to increase local participation in the oil and gas industry.

Getenergy for Western Africa