Page 21 - EPSI Magazine Issue 8 final 2018.indd

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THE OIL PIPELINE: A GOLDEN EGG OR A

MISCONSTRUED OPPORTUNITY?

veryone who has passed through kindergarten knows of the tale of the goose which laid the
Egolden egg. The fable goes on to describe a couple who had a goose which laid golden eggs.
The owners in their presumption believed the goose to have gold in its belly since it laid golden eggs.
To their horror, on cutting it open, they discovered that the goose actually was an ordinary goose, which
just happened to lay golden eggs. So their greed left them actually poorer than before.

In this respect, this tale can be applied to Uganda. The oil pipepline presents so many opportunities
for us a country. It is the goose. The oil is the golden eggs which can be loosely translated into infrastruc-
ture, roads, jobs, better health care, education and so much more. Not only do reports note that the
economy will be boosted to a whopping 10% from 4%, but the numerous taxes that will be levied at
the refining, gas processing and conversion, transportation and storage of petroleum and its associated
products, bi-products and wastes, are all revenue earning opportunities for the country.