Schlumberger, the world’s leading oilfield services provider has boosted Petroleum Geosciences and Production training in Makerere University by giving support worth USD 3.5million to the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies, College of Natural Sciences.
Schlumberger, the world’s leading oilfield services provider has boosted Petroleum Geosciences and Production training in Makerere University by giving support worth USD 3.5million to the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies, College of Natural Sciences.
The Schlumberger Oilfield Eastern donation covers software licenses, hardware installation, support and maintenance. The donation also covers training seminars for both the students and lecturers.
The Chief Guest at the event and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education and Sports Mr. Francis Lubanga commended Schlumberger Oilfield Eastern limited for the timely support to the Government of Uganda, “This donation will make a marked contribution to Government’s efforts to develop infrastructure for the Petroleum Geosciences and Production lab to facilitate the petroleum geosciences course,” he said.
Mr. Lubanga also commended the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development through the Norwegian-funded programme; Strengthening the Management of the Oil and Gas sector in Uganda, for donating furniture to the Laboratory, before declaring the facility launched. The Laboratory is housed in the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies, College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University and was launched on Tuesday 18th October 2011.
Schlumberger is passionate about developing human resource and as such has chosen Uganda to be at the forefront of Schlumberger’s mission to advance fundamental and applied research in geosciences, and Makerere University to be the implementing institution.
The Schlumberger delegation included the Vice President, Testing Services-Europe, Caspian and Africa, Group Managing Director-Eastern and Southern Africa, Country Director-Uganda, and the Recruiting and University Relations Manager.
The Schlumberger, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development joint collaboration with Makerere University is meant to enhance skill development especially the practical aspect, with the goal of producing graduates with the ability to integrate into the oil and gas industry without need for further training.
The Schlumberger donation includes; Petro and Technology integrated software applications, with the respective licenses, Software application training for the Petroleum Geosciences and Production programme lecturers, Data acquisition and processing seminars, and ongoing application support for all donated software. In addition Schlumberger will continue to give practical training and assistance to the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba thanked Schlumberger for the institutional donation and pledged to continue working with the company to deliver the right human resource for the Oil and Gas Industry. He thanked Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development for identifying Makerere as a partner institution especially at a time when training of basic sciences is very expensive for universities. Prof. Baryamureeba thanked the Ministry of Education and Sports for creating an enabling environment that favours collaboration. He requested the Ministry to support Makerere’s quest to produce world-class human resource for the Oil and Gas industry by further supporting the basic sciences.
A memorandum of understanding was then signed and Lecturers who had participated in a one-week training workshop organized by Schlumberger received certificates on use of the Petro Software.
mwamai@admin.mak.ac.ug, Public Relations Office