The oil and gas industry in Uganda must increase the number of professionals working in the sector, an expert has claimed.

According to Abdul Kibuuka, a human resources manager at Tullow Oil, a whole chain of workers is needed to run a successful oil or gas operation and the industry must offer appropriate training to all involved.

The expert told Daily Monitor that Uganda must look for individuals with enough background training to learn about the oil and gas industry "while on the job".

Mr Kibuuka said that there are multiple training paths for professionals entering the industry, but emphasised that supporting industries must not be overlooked.

"We need to carefully look at the skills that will be required in the support industries, rather than focusing on specialised petroleum skills only," he told the news provider.

Tullow Oil recently announced plans to sponsor six Ugandans to work towards oil and gas training in the form of post-graduate degrees.

The company is one of the largest independent exploration and production companies in Europe and also operates in India.

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