News
25 July 2011

July 2011 – LP Gas: Exceptional Energy for Uganda

On July 7th 2011, WLPGA First Vice President Kimball Chen and Deputy Managing Director Michael Kelly were in Kampala, Uganda for a one day event entitled “LP Gas: Exceptional Energy for Uganda”.

 

Kimball Chen at press conference with the Hon. Lokeris Peter, Minister of State for Mineral Development. On July 7th 2011, WLPGA First Vice President Kimball Chen and Deputy Managing Director Michael Kelly were in Kampala, Uganda for a one day event entitled “LP Gas: Exceptional Energy for Uganda”. The seminar focused on Uganda as an emerging East African market that is poised for considerable growth in the coming years. At the moment 90% of Ugandans rely on charcoal or other forms of biomass for their cooking and heating needs. This has put considerable pressure on local forests and contributes to wide spread respiratory illnesses related to long term exposure to indoor air pollution. But with the recent discovery of oil and natural gas on the country’s Western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country seems poised for substantial growth. Kimball and Michael, representing the global industry, held meetings with senior government and industry representatives on a variety of topics. They also advised the industry regarding the establishment of an LPG Section within the Ugandan Association of Petroleum Marketing Professionals (APMP) as a policy discussion forum and lobbying voice of the Ugandan LPG industry. National associations are important as mechanisms for bringing structure and consistency to domestic markets. An effective national association can be key in representing industry interests, establishing productive partnerships with regulatory authorities, championing the benefits of LPG to the general public and serving as a pipeline to outside expertise, innovations and good practices. WLPGA will continue to work with the Ugandan industry and the industry throughout East Africa to ensure that the burgeoning markets in the growing region can benefit from the expertise and experience of WLPGA’s global membership.