From January 26-February 10, 2024 Barrel magazine, in partnership with Women in Energy and Extractives Network (WEEN), held a public nomination campaign, seeking 20 women under the age of 40 who have excelled in the oil and gas sector. The campaign invited the general public to nominate fitting candidates, by filling in an online nomination form, and altogether 126 nominations were received for consideration, for the prestigious ‘20 Under 40 Women in Energy & Extractives’ awards, Oil & Gas Edition. Working in tandem with Barrel magazine, WEEN’s executive committee then chose a select group of their members to constitute the nominations panel, which narrowed down the 126 to 20. Barrel magazine has published the 20 women with their photos, profiles and outstanding achievements. In
partnership with Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum (UCMP), there will be an awards ceremony for the selected 20 women to be held on Thursday, April 18, 2024, 6-7pm at Kampala Serena Hotel.
Rita is a Petroleum Engineer currently working as a Customer Engagement Coordinator for Well Construction Measurements and Logging while drilling for the Tilenga Project in Uganda. She is the point of contact throughout the whole service delivery process, ensuring that the measurements and logging, while drilling services for the Tilenga Project, comply with contractual agreements and meet performance metrics.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering from China University and has a Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Rita began her career as a Measurements and Logging While Drilling Field Engineer for Schlumberger Ltd (SLB) in Congo and Gabon. She went on to become a Bits & Drilling Tools Engineer in Norway, with roles including hydraulic analysis of drilling tools, borehole enlargement and wellbore departure job planning and risk management for clients such as Equinor, Neptune Energy and Vaar Energy. Rita then worked as a Job Delivery Lead in Wellbore Productivity for the North Sea for clients such as Equinor, Neptune Energy, Lundin Energy and Spirit Energy.
Outstanding Achievement
While working as a Drilling Product Engineer in Norway, Rita embarked on a project to revamp top-hole drilling tool technology, to reduce carbon emissions by increasing the drilling speed, thus reducing the amount of CO2 emissions while drilling the same well intervals. This improved technology has been adopted in North Sea operations.
Yvette is currently serving as the Head of Human Resources at CNOOC Uganda Limited and has been working in the upstream oil and gas industry for 12 years. Yvette holds an MA in Human Resource Management and a certificate in Human Resources practice from the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Dev’t-UK, a PGD in Human Resources practice and a BA in Mass Communication. Under her stewardship, CNOOC Uganda has successfully implemented initiatives focused on skills development, capacity building and community engagement programs, especially spearheaded towards women and youth driving change and advocating for improvement for staff benefits.
She has been instrumental for local talent upskilling and advancement to management roles in the company. She has initiated strategic partnerships with universities and vocational institutions for internship and placement for petroleum students, secondment of UNOC staff to the company for knowledge transfer, exchange programs for the company staff to other business units and project sites, which have empowered Ugandans and contributed to the long-term socio-economic development in the sector.
Outstanding Achievement
She has been instrumental in the nationalisation of several positions, formerly held by expatriates, and has overseen recruitment of the highest talent in the country for CNOOC.
Phionah Naturinda is a Mechanical Engineer specialising in pipelines design, construction and operations. She holds a Master’s degree in Offshore & Ocean Technology with Pipeline Engineering from Cranfield University, UK and is a First-Class Degree holder in Mechanical Engineering from Makerere University. She is the Pipelines Development & Operations Manager at the Uganda National Oil Company Limited (UNOC) but is currently on secondment to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Ltd as the Deputy Interface Leader. At EACOP Ltd, she provides HSE leadership for all interface activities and manages interfaces with third parties and relevant authorities.
She also provides interpretation for contractual requirements and ensures constructors follow the agreed plans, procedures and specifications. At UNOC she was part of the negotiating team for the EACOP Project agreements. She also leads the process of planning, designing, construction and operation of pipelines and integrated facilities. She was also a key contributor to final positioning of pump station 1 on the EACOP route and a key contributor to the Restoration Action Plan (RAP) for EACOP.
Outstanding Acheivement
She was a key member of the team for EACOP route selection, which avoids most of the environmentally sensitive areas, and led the team that developed the implementation plan for the National Strategy and Plan for Petroleum Transportation and Storage in Uganda.
Davine has been working at CNOOC Uganda Ltd for over 12 years, where she has grown through the ranks from a coordinator in the Administration and Support Department to now head the same department. She leads the IT, Administration and Joint Venture management teams, where she has played a critical support role to facilitate key milestones such as delivering the Front Engineering Design (FEED) for Kingfisher, leading the public hearing events for the Kingfisher Development Project Environment and Social Impact Assessment Final Investment (ESIA) in 2019 at Kikuube and Hoima Districts, which were attended by approximately 10,000 participants and the spudding of Kingfisher wells
event. She also oversees different Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs at her company.
Outstanding Achievement
Davine was instrumental in the timely achievement of the first three development wells in the country (for Kingfisher) and was at the forefront of organizing a successful spudding ceremony to enable the start of drilling operations.
Jemimmah is currently the B2B Manager at Vivo Energy. She has been working in oil and gas downstream for over 13 years. She oversees sales, business strategy development and portfolio management and has consistently led to the realization of revenue and profitability targets. She is also an ardent advocate for progressive regulations, within the oil and gas sector, and works tirelessly to ensure safety, quality and fairness in the market. She has been influential in stakeholder joint discussions across the market, for example, partnering with UNBS to combat adulterated oil products. She is a staunch advocate for stringent regulation of the LPG market, to protect consumers and prevent illegal practices. Her efforts to stamp out counterfeit lubricants and address the challenges of porous borders showcase her dedication to a balanced and ethical trading environment. Her previous roles included Fuels & Specialties Sales Manager at Rubis Energy Uganda Limited and Country Manager at Hashi Energy Uganda.
Outstanding Achievement
She notably lobbied for the removal of VAT from bottled LPG, underscoring her passion for cleaner energy and environmental protection.
Ann has been working at CNOOC Uganda Ltd for over seven years, first as a senior tax advisor then to her current role as the Tax and Insurance Manager. Ann has specialist knowledge in taxation and in-
surance, she has contributed significantly to improvements in the tax treatment of oil and gas project operations and negotiated salient sector insurance covers. Ann ensures proper adherence to fiscal policies, crucial for CNOOC and the country’s economic development through her continuous engagements with external stakeholders, such as Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MOFPED), Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) and Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA).
Before joining CNOOC, she worked as a tax consultant for 9 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a leading global professional services firm, where she provided tax advisory services across diverse industry sectors and actively participated in thought leadership programs, such as tax alerts and advocating for tax law amendments.
Outstanding Achievement
Ann has had a great contribution on all the landmark tax negotiations in the oil and gas upstream and midstream projects involving the Government of Uganda and the IOCs. She has also played a very pivotal role in the oil and gas insurance sector. She continues to be the go-to person at CNOOC, mentoring a group of aspiring and young accountants on the tax front, which has led her to being recognized for her outstanding performance at CNOOC Uganda Limited for the past four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023.
Edith is a Certified Chartered Accountant with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) of the United Kingdom, she holds a Master of Science Degree in Energy Studies & Energy Economics from the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom and a Bachelors’ degree in Economics from Makerere University. Edith started her career with Big Four Audit Firm – Deloitte & Touche East Africa, where she led the Energy & Resources Unit, prior to joining Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC). Edith is the Commercial Manager at UNOC. She plays an instrumental role in the steering committees for the National Petroleum Policy, Midstream Regulations, Uganda’s Petroleum Sector Economic Model, Uganda Crude Oil Trading & EACOP Project Finance. Edith founded the Uganda National Oil & Gas Symposium that takes place annually at Makerere University and participates as a panellist and moderator in several panel discussions on Uganda’s oil industry. Edith has made significant contributions in the fields of petroleum economics, financial modelling, project structuring, commercial agreements negotiations and commercial management of energy sector projects in East Africa, including Tanzania-Uganda Natural Gas pipeline, Tilenga, Kingfisher, Kasuruban, EACOP, Uganda Refinery, petroleum products trading and Uganda Crude Oil Marketing Uganda.
Outstanding Achievement
whoShe is the brains behind UNOC’s Integrated Economic Model, which underpins commercial negotiations between Uganda Government and international oil companies. As the Uganda Government Negotiation Team Secretariat, Edith is among the key technocrats that negotiated robust commercial agreements and bankable petroleum projects that enabled the 2022 Final Investment Decision (FID) for Uganda’s oil projects, which paved way for the ongoing in-country investments worth $15 Million for the next 4 years.
Diana Taremwa Karakire is a multi-award winning journalist, communication and advocacy officer at Water Governance Institute. She also serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Civil Society Coalition on
Oil and Gas (CSCO). Diana has spent over 10 years advocating for good governance and sustainable exploitation of Uganda’s energy resources in different capacities. As the Vice Chairperson of CSCO hosted at ACODE, Diana has played an active role in shaping advocacy and campaigns, as well as discourse around sustainable exploitation of Uganda’s oil and gas resources for the benefit of the common people. She has also used her journalism skills to advocate and shed light on issues affecting oil host communities, and indigenous peoples, as well as Uganda’s need to develop its renewable energy sources. Notably, Diana has been part of civil society delegations, engaging with oil companies, government MDAs and Parliament to present civil society position papers and proposals on pertinent matters affecting the energy sector. Diana previously served as the Extractives and Renewable Energy Officer at Africa Institute for Energy Governance, another NGO at the forefront of natural resource
advocacy in Uganda.
Outstanding Achievement
She has earned several awards for her work, with her most recent including the Uganda Conservation Media Award 2023 and the 2022 Population and Development Media Award by the National Population Council.
Ritah is a Completions Engineer with CNOOC Uganda. She has been working in the oil and gas industry for five years. Her job is to design and execute completions strategies that optimize production and maximize reservoir recovery. She leads a multi-disciplinary team to execute complex completion projects on time and within budget. She has a keen eye for detail and a knack for troubleshooting, allowing her to identify and mitigate potential risks, while ensuring operational efficiency. In her previous role, still at CNOOC Uganda, she worked as a Cost Control Engineer where she was tasked to do budget estimation, forecasting and variance analysis, to identify cost-saving opportunities and mitigate financial risks. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering from China University of Petroleum (East China).
Outstanding Achievement
Achievement: In 2022, Ritah was recognized by her employer CNOOC Uganda Limited for her outstanding contributions to well completion design and contract management, which resulted in significant project optimization and cost saving.
As the Head of Oil & Gas/ Energy & Extractives at Stanbic Bank, Eva provides leadership in navigating the complexities of financing, through innovative banking solutions suitable to the oil and gas sector. Eva’s approach, to financing facilities for local companies, has been pivotal in shaping national content in Uganda’s oil and gas sector. She has spearheaded initiatives to map out her clients’ entire journey, ensuring seamless financing propositions. Her contributions have been transformative, setting a high standard for excellence and paving the way for a prosperous future in this vital industry. She is a thought leader, appearing regularly on panels, and she writes articles on financial models within the oil and gas industry.
Outstanding Achievement
Eva has supported financing of over 100 businesses across the oil and gas value chain.
Pauline Murari is a distinguished corporate and commercial lawyer, with over a decade of experience, specializing predominantly in the oil and gas sector. She currently works as the Contracts Manager at
Schlumberger Limited (SLB). She oversees contracts across Central, East and South Africa. Leveraging her extensive experience in legal affairs, contracts management, risk mitigation and stakeholder engagement, she has been instrumental in driving business growth and mitigating risks. With a robust background in law, Pauline has established herself as a trusted advisor in navigating complex legal landscapes. Her adept negotiation skills, coupled with a deep understanding of risk management and corporate governance, have consistently delivered value to her clients and stakeholders. Pauline’s commitment to excellence, coupled with her passion for continuous learning, positions her as a trusted partner and a key player in shaping the future of the oil and gas sector, driving innovation and fostering sustainable growth within the industry.
Outstanding Achievement
Her career journey has been marked by notable roles, including serving at Uganda National Oil Company Limited, where she played a pivotal role in structuring and negotiating significant oil and gas projects such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.
Barbra is a project management professional, with over 10 years’ experience in social responsibility and project management throughout project life cycles from ideation to delivery. She is currently based on site in Buliisa to manage and ensure the effective and successful implementation of the $US 2.4 million National Content and Social Responsibility Commitment for the Tilenga Project. Barbara has also overseen capacity building of over 1500+ Ugandans under the E4D SOGA program, aimed at building technical and soft skills for the oil and gas industry. In addition, she has worked on infrastructural development projects like Greening Uganda’s Industrialization and Urbanization, Kampala Industrial Business Park (Namanve) and Compliance Monitoring and Assistance for Waki HPP that focused heavily on social responsibility, sustainability and greening.
Outstanding Achievement
The 2023 PAU National Content Skilling Award was awarded to McDermott as a result of the implementation of two community projects namely, Buliisa Farmer’s Project and PPE Fabrication Project that targeted 1,700 Ugandans from the local community, which Barbara was overseeing.
Claire is a Cost Control Engineer with a background in Construction and Project Management. Clare undertakes budgeting, monitoring and cost reporting for the Drilling and Completion Project at CNOOC
Uganda Limited. She previously worked as technical manager at Excell Construction Ltd to deliver projects worth over $20 million in the Kingfisher Development Area, and personally delivered in areas of project planning, budgeting, design management, constructability and interface management on these projects.
Outstanding Achievement
At the end of 2023, Claire was nominated as an Outstanding Performer in the Drilling & Completion.
Esther is a Professional Accountant with over 10 years’ experience in the oil and gas sector. She currently leads the Treasury Team at CNOOC Uganda Limited and is responsible for optimising the liquidity position of the organisation, as well as maintaining favourable relations with internal and external stakeholders in the industry. Her journey started in June 2008 with TotalEnergies (downstream) as a part of their Graduate Trainee Program in the Treasury department, where her love for accounting and finance was birthed. She then joined CNOOC Uganda Limited in 2013 as an accounts payable accountant, where she served in different accounting roles. Esther was promoted to Accounting Manager in January 2020, where she successfully led the team through the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Outstanding Achievement
She has been recognized as Employee of the Year three (3) times.
Edith is a very valuable member of the Human Resource (HR) team, which has been instrumental in reshaping UNOC’s talent landscape, overseeing the recruitment of over 50% of the workforce to date. Her work is to harness the right skills for UNOC’s labour force, to enhance the company’s adaptability and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global market. Edith is also responsible for the wellbeing of over 100 staff and dependents, plus manages the company’s health insurance and accident coverage scheme. She is an active participant in mentorship and advocacy for HR best practices. Before joining UNOC she worked with Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited, where her leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion markedly improved the bank’s operational performance and fostered an environment of opportunity and respect.
Outstanding Achievement
Edith is a Founding Director of the Women in Energy and Extractives Network (WEEN), a not-for-profit organisation that supports gender equality and diversity within the energy and extractives industry.
Racheal Nibyagaba holds a Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Geoscience and Production from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. She has over 9 years’ experience in the upstream oil and gas industry with-
in and outside Uganda. Racheal is currently working as an Exploration Geophysicist Specialist at the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), where she leads the geophysical aspects in the exploration project operation. Her role involves developing sub surface models, estimating petroleum resources/reserves, preparation and evaluation exploration work program among others. Racheal started her career in the oil and gas industry as a Completions Engineer, Sand Control Services and later Sales Support Engineer, Completions and Wellbore Intervention Services, with Baker Hughes, Uganda for five (5) years, where she successfully supported and coordinated several regional and international completions projects. During her career at Baker Hughes, Racheal was pivotal in preparing tendering documents and designing well schematics for different well completion projects. She later joined UNOC as an Exploration Geophysicist and was subsequently promoted to an Exploration Geophysicist Specialist.
Outstanding Achievement
She has been fundamental in the execution of the Kasuruban Contract Area obligations that UNOC obtained in 2023.
Goretti is senior treasury accountant with over 10 years’ experience in accounting and finance. She spent eight years working in the telecom industry before joining CNOOC Uganda, where she has spearheaded the implementation of the new treasury management system to optimise operations by streamlining vendor payment processes, which has resulted in strengthening stakeholder relationships. She has not only excelled in managing treasury operations and navigating complex financial landscapes, but she also demonstrated a keen ability to foster meaningful connections with clients and stakeholders. Her commitment to ensure no finance-related customer issue goes unresolved and timely payment of stakeholder invoices, while strictly following the required guidelines and standards, has earned her a reputation for delivering exceptional service and driving positive outcomes.
Outstanding Achievement
She was key in streamlining CNOOC Uganda’s treasury management system and establishing an efficient Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
Angela holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Geoscience and Production from Makerere University. She is currently working as a Petroleum Engineer (Production) at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU). Previously she worked as an apprentice with the Directorate of Petroleum in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. She was nominated as Speaker at the 10th East Africa Petroleum Conference and Exhibition 2023 (EAPCE’23) where she presented a paper on, ‘Adoption of a Well Naming Convention that Addresses the Challenges of Factory Drilling for Development and Production Wells: Case Study of the Upstream Oil and Gas projects in the Albertine Graben – Uganda.’
Outstanding Achievement
She served as Guild Speaker of the 86th Guild House, Makerere University (2020-2021), Guild Representative Councillor (GRC) for the School of Physical Sciences (2020-2021), and Vice President of the Makerere University Petroleum and Geology Society (2019-2020).
Cissy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Oil and Gas Production from Kyambogo University. She works with SLB as a Field Engineer – Measurements and Drilling on the Tilenga Project. She previously worked with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development as a graduate trainee in Armour Energy’s exploration campaign for seismic data collection in the Kanywataba Bloc, Ntoroko District. She later joined Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) as a Graduate Drilling Trainee before joining SLB.
Outstanding Achievement
She was a board member in the Society of Petroleum Engineers Uganda and served as the Deputy Project Manager, Women in Energy and Mining Empowerment program at African Energy and Minerals Management Initiative, a program that focused on improving financial literacy, including health and safety for women in the mining industry (stone quarrying).
Irene Kobusinge is a Mining Engineer, currently serving as a health and safety professional with Mota-Engil, where she is the Permit to Work Coordinator and leads safety audits. Her work has contributed to the current Tilenga Project record of Zero Lost Time Incidents. She is also a co-founding member of Joren Mineral Consultants Limited. She has written several articles about safety in the oil and gas sector, which have been published in local print media such as New Vision and Daily Monitor newspapers. She is also a member of the Safety and Health Association of Uganda (SHAU), a platform she uses to advocate for health and safety practices in the workplace.
Outstanding Achievement
Achievement: She was selected to conduct executive inductions to VIPs on the Tilenga Project i.e. PAU, TotalEnergies, EU delegates, Schlumberger delegates from France, government delegates, ambassadors among others.
