The thesis examined the impacts of the discovery and exploration of oil and gas in Uganda. Significant oil and gas reserves were discovered in Uganda in 2006. Although the discovery of oil and gas is seen as a major development, due to creation of jobs and boosting the economy, no single country in Africa can boast of any success after the discovery and exploration of the resource. The researcher studied Algeria, Nigeria, and Sudan to posture Uganda, a prospective country in the oil and gas industry to avoid the resources curse. The variables used were militarization, land conflicts and economic security. It was found that oil and gas have negative impacts on security, economy, and land management of the countries studied. It, however, concludes that Uganda still has a chance to escape the resource curse only if, it avoids militarization, and create a joint task force, use oil and gas revenues for professionalization of the army and modernization of agriculture.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)