Aggrey Ashaba is the new chairperson of the governing council at the Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum (UCMP), succeeding Patrick Mweheire.
Ashaba, the CEO at Alliad (formerly GCC Services), has been serving as the Chamber’s general secretary since June 2021. He will be deputized by Pamela Natamba, a partner at PWC, and the immediate former treasurer at the UCMP.
Other changes see Catherine Wabomba, the former Chamber CEO, coming in as general secretary, and Abdul Kibuuka from True North Consult assuming the treasurer role.
The changes were effected at the 14th UCMP annual general meeting, recently.
John Bosco Habomugisha from the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) company, Jonan Kisakye, the CEO of Uganda Insurers Association, Aminah Bukenya from CNOOC, Dr. Jennifer Hinton of Jervois and Gibson Nangono from I&M Bank, were returned as governing council members.
TotalEnergies’ deputy general manager, Mariam Nampeera Mbowa, who has been the UCMP’s vice chairperson will now serve as a council member.
Relatedly, Peter Muliisa from the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and Patience Singo from Rwenzori Rare Metals (RRM) were voted in as new members.
After completing their terms of service on the council, Mweheire, who heads Standard Bank Group in East Africa and Nicholas Ecimu from S&L Advocates have now joined the UCMP’s board of trustees.
(L-R) Humphrey Asiimwe (UCMP CEO), Ashaba, Mweheire, Kaijuka and Natamba
Chaired by Richard Kaijuka, the board of trustees also has Dr. Elly Karuhanga (KAA Advocates), Jeff Baitwa (Threeways), Sam Thakka and Dr. Kellen Kayonga (Askar Security) as members.
“The Chamber pledges to continue driving value for our members and country during a time when triple bottom lines are the focus. People, profit and planet are pertinent in the energy and mining sectors,” Ashaba said.
Industry insiders say Ashaba has built a strong network of contacts – both on the local and international scene – of top government officials and major corporate players. And he is expected to leverage on the wealth of knowledge he has accumulated from these contacts to meet the interests of all parties as he steers the Chamber forward.
One of the first major assignments that Ashaba and his team will have to tackle is how to position the UCMP at a time of an aggressive push by obscure global forces for countries to drop their oil and gas plans.
The Chamber has for more than a decade been instrumental in amplifying Uganda’s, and indeed the private sector’s voice in the pursuit of developing oil and gas resources – emphasizing the sector’s potential to change lives for the better.
The new UCMP leadership, Ashaba also noted, “will work towards fostering a strong relationship with the government, other private sector bodies, development partners, researchers and other actors in alignment with Uganda’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP) unveiled at COP 28 in Dubai at the end of 2023.”
In aligning with the contemporary energy transition debate, the meeting also deliberated on embarking on a restructuring and rebranding drive that will in the near future see the word ‘Petroleum’ dropped from its UCMP name and replaced with ‘Energy’ to become the Uganda Chamber of Mines and Energy (UCME).
Launched in 2010, the Chamber represents the interests of private players in the mining and petroleum sectors.
