Uganda extends oil exploration licence for Nigeria’s Oranto by two years

Uganda’s oil ministry said it has granted Nigerian firm Oranto Petroleum Limited a two-year renewal of an oil exploration licence for two blocks located in the west of the country.
The ministry said in a statement released late on Friday, the licence extension, which covers the Ngassa Deep and Ngassa Shallow exploration areas, will allow the firm to conduct both exploration and appraisal drilling activity.
Uganda discovered commercial oil deposits in its Albertine Graben basin along its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006, and aims to commence production in 2025.
The country’s two development fields, Kingfisher and Tilenga, are jointly owned by France’s TotalEnergies, China’s CNOOC and Uganda’s state-owned Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC).
Environmental groups and climate change activists have criticised Uganda’s efforts to develop its oil resources, saying it will soil fragile eco-systems, displace people and ruin livelihoods.