Gilmore suspends Irish aid programme to Uganda

[PaddyJoe]

4 million goes missing allegedly through fraud in the office of Ugandan PM, Yoweri Museveni.
Small time guys those Ugandans. We should send over a few bankers and developers to get them to think in real money terms

Auditors from the Department of Foreign Affairs flew to the capital Kampala this morning to investigate the alleged misappropriation of funds, which was earmarked for education, policing and tackling HIV and Aids in the poorest regions.

Mr Gilmore said he is deeply concerned over the alleged fraud, which was identified by Uganda’s own auditor general and reported to Irish officials yesterday.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking41.html

[Frankie Lee]

How did Tullow oil get on with their oil exploration in the end?

edit: Here we are, 12 hours ago
http://af.reuters.com/article/invest...=investingNews

KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda has taken back an exploration block jointly owned by Tullow Oil, CNOOC and Total SA after their licence expired, the government said, likely increasing the acreage up for auction in a new licensing round expected early next year.

[PaddyJoe]

How did Tullow oil get on with their oil exploration in the end?

edit: Here we are, 12 hours ago
http://af.reuters.com/article/invest...=investingNews

Interesting timeline here on oil, politics and corruption in Uganda:
http://www.oilinuganda.org/categories/oil-timeline

[Frankie Lee]

Interesting timeline here on oil, politics and corruption in Uganda:
http://www.oilinuganda.org/categories/oil-timeline

Interesting read that, thanks.

[PaddyJoe]

The Irish Aid programme was very much Michael Martin's baby when he visited Uganda in 2010, wasn't it?
Around the same time that Tullow moved in.

[Frankie Lee]

Yes on the 30th of June 2010 Martin visits Uganda and pledges €166m worth of aid.
http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/latest_ne...l?article=1634

On the 7th of July 2010 the Ugandan government approves Tullows acquisition of Heritage Oil's Ugandan assets.
http://www.tullowoil.com/index.asp?p...137&newsid=668

Of course these two items could be completely unrelated.

[PaddyJoe]

Good site, that www.oiluganda.org

Irish Aid has long operated as a directorate within Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. In an administrative re-structuring in 2011, international trade was combined with the foreign affairs portfolio in a new Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Irish Aid, says the representative, is now one plank of an integrated Africa strategy that attempts to cement diplomatic, trade, investment and cultural linkages with an overall pro-growth orientation.

Irish Aid’s first direct engagement in Uganda’s oil sector, in 2010, was to co-fund, with the UK’s Department for International Development, a two-year project, implemented by International Alert, to “harness the potential contribution of oil for peaceful development.” Project activities include research and monitoring of oil exploration and production, increased dialogue among stakeholders and providing information services and community ‘sensitisation’ in oil producing regions

Irish Aid has also been a major benefactor of Traidlinks, a non-profit organisation established in 2006 by business leaders in Ireland to support private sector development in Africa. With Irish Aid support, Traidlinks has offered mentoring and export promotion services to African businesses in a wide range of industries. It is now, with funding from Tullow Oil—the Irish company that has come to play such a prominent role in oil exploration in East Africa—opening an ‘Enterprise Centre’ in Hoima. The centre aims to promote oil-related business opportunities for Ugandans. A key starting point is work with local farming households to increase the range and raise the quality of their produce in an effort to develop reliable supply chains for oil camps.

http://www.oilinuganda.org/irish-aid

[Dr. FIVE]

cant blame this Museveni chap given everyone else is very happy to pocket the money so graciously provided by Irish Governments over the last couple of years

[Dr. FIVE]

The Irish Aid programme was very much Michael Martin's baby when he visited Uganda in 2010, wasn't it?
Around the same time that Tullow moved in.

was indeed, Tullow weren't too impressed when various bits of info were requested either but these links were established




There were allegations of bribery raised in the Ugandan Parliament around this time last year off the back of wikileaks cables

Producing what he claimed were bank statements, Karuhanga said that Hillary Onek, the Minister for Internal Affairs, received £6.5m from Tullow into several accounts. He said that Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sam Kutesa, had received £17m through his company, East African Development company Kenya. Kutesa challenged Karuhanga in parliament, claiming that the documents were forgeries, and that the MP was abusing parliamentary privileges to make defamatory statements.

Karuhanga told the chamber that an officer at the American Embassy in Uganda had said that Tullow’s Vice President for Africa had identified the Prime Minister, several ministers and a judge as having benefited from Tullow bribes. One of the men accused by Karuhanga, Minister for Foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa, responded to the claims by saying that the MP would not repeat his accusations outside the chamber and that the documents he presented had been forged.

Tullow has responded to the allegations, denying them vigorously. Tullow Oil Chief Executive Aidan Heavey said the company “rejects the outrageous and defamatory accusations of corruption” made against it in the Ugandan Parliament, in a letter to the parliamentary speaker. “Tullow will examine all possible legal action to protect the reputations of the company and its employees,” he added.

They also added

"These accusations are demonstrably false and appear to be founded on misunderstandings about how the global oil and gas industry works,"

Parliament had put a moratorium on oil transactions while the investigation is ongoing but Tullow, CNOOC and Total signed a new $2.9bn deal in Febuary to much chagrin

http://www.independent.co.ug/cover-s...tullow-trouble < very interesting article btw

The PSA signings paved way for Tullow to complete its farm-down to Total and CNOOC valued at US$2.9 billion.

Observers see the latest deal in a sector shrouded in secrecy, without a legal framework, and hanging on the whims and decisions of one man, President Yoweri Museveni, as harbinger of doom in the country’s nascent oil sector.

The new transaction has kicked off a row between the legislature and the cabinet worsening a situation that is already explosive. The MPs who have previously accused the cabinet of undermining their scrutiny role have decried the new PSAs and interpreted the new signings as contempt of parliament.

They say they are going to censure the Energy minister Muloni, over the new PSAs and take the government to court unless it recalls the agreements.

“This is contempt of parliament, we received the news with great consternation and we will challenge the agreements in courts of law,” Gerald Karuhanga the Youth MP Western who tabled the bribery allegations against Tullow in parliament told The Independent, the night the fresh PSAs with Tullow were announced.

“But I pity Tullow; you disregard the legislature, judiciary and go ahead to sign fresh contracts, where will you go when things go wrong?

“Governments come, government’s go, so signing oil contracts contrary to the interests of Ugandans is suicidal as these contracts can be nullified anytime,” Karuhunga said.

Another youthful MP, Vincent Kyamadidi, who represents Rwampara also said that the decision to sign fresh PSAs makes the executives intentions questionable. “Why rush into signing new agreements after a court injunction that nothing about oil be discussed until a petition has been disposed of?”

Legal experts have also weighed in. According to Nicholas Opiyo, top Kampala advocate the government’s decision to sign fresh contracts in face of resistance, a court injunction and refusal to wait for the parliament’s recommendations foretells ill-motive.

A lot more to look at here I think. Even discounting the oil, there is much discontent in Uganda and it will probably be useful to look at the latest development from a Ugandan rather then Irish perspective. This Museveni chap & his connections to the nascent oil industry appear bent as feck for start

[Dr. FIVE]

Though it appears the state have taken back control of some of the prospective areas only last week.

Opposition leader was arrested earlier in the month. Arab style revolution still on the card it seems

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Had the offer once to go and work in Africa (Lagos/Kampala/Mombasa/Jo'burg) and turned it down as I'd have had to live the corporate white man life in a compound and the main thing that kept me turning it down in my head was the thought of ending up like some bitter Kurtz-like character listening to the sort of corporate white men who would make a living in Africa.

Would have been able to live very well but couldn't bear the thoughts of the sort of people I'd been obliged to interact with. And that means the corporate 'expat' community and not the locals although interacting there would have been risky enough.

[C. Flower]

New blog post on Irish Aid, Tullow Oil and Uganda, by PaddyJoe

http://itsapoliticalworld.wordpress....il-and-uganda/

[Dr. FIVE]

timely

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...326471027.html

[C. Flower]

timely

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...326471027.html

Indeed. All of a piece.
A revised aid strategy that prioritises the private sector, and a new private sector strategy that works with the IMF privatising, neo-liberal agenda.

Would expect no less of Fine Gael.

[Dr. FIVE]

asset striping

http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/H...7-a6aff2062620