Uganda is experiencing an acute skills shortfall which is preventing many workers from finding employment in the country's burgeoning oil and gas industry, according to Tullow's general manager Brian Glover.

Speaking to East African Business Week, Mr Glover explained that despite efforts to introduce training and development scholarships for gifted students, Uganda's deep skills shortfall means international workers must be called in to support the sector.

His comments came as Tullow awarded four Ugandan students postgraduate scholarships to study petroleum geosciences at Manchester University.

The company made six positions available, but only four students were deemed capable of completing the scholarship programme.

"We have been trying to find Ugandans with the skills in oil and gas exploration but even in the diaspora when we put out the announcement, we mostly got Nigerians and Ghanaians because they have had the experience in this industry," he said.

The company has similarly established scholarships for Ghanaian students, while it is also recruiting local workers in Ethiopia and Kenya to explore newly acquired blocks in the East African rift region.

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