By Our Staff Reporter

UGANDA — Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
Uganda has officially named its crude oil Pearl Sweet Petroleum, marking a historic milestone as the country moves closer to producing and exporting its first commercial oil.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni announced the name during an official ceremony at the Kingfisher Development Area in Kikuube District, where he stressed that Uganda’s petroleum resources must be used to transform the country’s economy.

The President said Uganda must avoid the mistakes made by some oil-producing countries where petroleum wealth has failed to create lasting development.

Instead, Museveni said oil revenues should be invested in productive sectors such as power generation, industrialisation, transport infrastructure, railways, education and other long-term national projects.

He also emphasised the importance of establishing an oil refinery to reduce the cost of exporting crude oil and importing refined petroleum products.

Uganda’s oil and gas sector is now rapidly moving towards first oil, with the Kingfisher and Tilenga projects making significant progress.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which will transport Uganda’s crude oil to Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast for export, is also nearing completion.

Government says the petroleum industry has already created thousands of jobs, provided specialised training for Ugandans and opened business opportunities for local companies.

With the official naming of its crude oil as Pearl Sweet Petroleum, Uganda is now preparing to introduce its petroleum resource to the international market.

President Museveni said the country’s oil must not only benefit the present generation but should be used to build a productive and sustainable economy that will benefit Ugandans for generations to come.