The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Ltd has successfully trained youth from project-affected households as part of its Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), equipping them with vocational skills to enhance their economic resilience post-displacement.
This initiative aims to enable affected individuals to secure self-employment or formal jobs, helping them rebuild their lives after resettlement.
Among the 754 graduates from districts including Hoima, Kakumiro, Kikuube, Kyankwanzi, and Mubende, 249 are women, highlighting the program’s inclusive approach.
The youth underwent training at institutions such as St. Simon Peter’s Vocational Institute in Hoima, St. Peter’s Vocational Training Institute in Mubende, Buhimba Technical Institute in Kikuube, and Millennium Business School in Hoima.
The program comprised three months of vocational training and a one-month internship, providing practical skills in fields such as tailoring and garment design, welding, building and construction, carpentry and joinery, motor vehicle and motorcycle mechanics, hairdressing, catering, and electrical installations.
As part of its Livelihood Restoration Program, EACOP has trained 1,020 youth along the entire pipeline route, offering starter kits tailored to their respective vocational fields.
The program also supports project-affected households in agriculture, enterprise development, and vocational skills to restore and enhance their income-generating capacities.
To date, 1,949 out of 2,257 eligible households have received food baskets for transitional support, ensuring food security within the first 6–12 months after resettlement.
The second phase focuses on improving agricultural productivity and incomes. Practical hands-on training equips households with modern farming techniques, crop production methods, and animal husbandry practices.
Beneficiaries are also provided with starter packs that include drought-tolerant seeds and seedlings for crops like maize, beans, cassava, banana, and coffee, as well as pasture for cattle.
So far, 2,938 of 3,400 eligible households across 10 districts are receiving agricultural productivity improvement support. These households are also being linked to local suppliers of farming technologies, equipment, and produce buyers to establish sustainable networks that ensure long-term success.
EACOP’s commitment to empowering project-affected persons goes beyond transitional support, aiming to provide sustainable solutions that enhance resilience and restore livelihoods.