Defending Uganda’s People and Ecosystems With Eli Abaho: Community Empowerment and International Solidarity Against Oil Development - Part One
- Camoya Evans
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Camoya Evans interviews Eli Abaho, Executive Director of Nect Green Code (NGC), an organisation promoting environmental health and climate justice in Uganda. Eli discusses the impact of oil development on Ugandan communities, highlighting deforestation, pollution, and the displacement of indigenous people and smallholder farmers. NGC addresses these challenges by training farmers in sustainable agriculture and promoting low-cost, renewable energy solutions, such as solar dryers and biogas systems. Eli emphasises the need for international solidarity, advocacy, and community empowerment to combat oil development and promote eco-justice.
Do you want to start by introducing yourself?
Eli: Yeah, so my name is Eli Abaho, and I am the Executive Director of Nect Green Code, which we abbreviate as NGC. NGC is an organisation that is dedicated to promoting environmental health, climate justice and sustainable livelihoods in Uganda's Albertine region. My work focuses on empowering communities affected by oil development to adopt renewable solutions, restore degraded ecosystems, and protect wildlife habitats and other landscapes. I am on a mission to safeguard biodiversity and elevate community and conservation. Through storytelling, dedication and action, I champion coexistence between people and wildlife while addressing the root causes of environmental degradation. My vision is a future in which local voices drive global conversations on eco-justice, resilience, and wildlife protection. So that's me!
How would you describe your relationship with nature and wildlife? What made you enter this field?
Eli: My relationship with nature is both personal and purposeful. Doing what I do wasn't a career decision. It is a calling! Growing up in Western Uganda, surrounded by forests and wildlife, I have witnessed firsthand how communities and ecosystems coexist. And how quickly that balance can be disrupted. When oil discoveries began in the Albertine region, I saw forests being cleared, rivers becoming polluted, and wildlife being displaced. This destruction pushed me to act. Becoming a conservationist was a way to protect what I love while helping local communities understand that safeguarding nature equals safeguarding our lives.
Could you provide a breakdown of the history of the oil development project underway in Uganda? How far does its impact go?
Eli: Oil exploration in Uganda began with significant discoveries made in 2006 around Lake Albert, a biodiversity hotspot. Since then, the government, along with multinational corporations like TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), has pursued large-scale extraction projects. These projects are the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The impact of all of this, however, began long before production through land acquisition, deforestation, and the construction of access roads. The vulnerable groups from this destruction include smallholder farmers, fishing communities, and Indigenous people living near protected areas. These communities face displacement, loss of income, and degradation of the natural resources they depend on for survival.
How does Nect Green Code help communities overcome the barriers they face when investing in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture?
Eli: Well, many of the communities face economic constraints. Information is limited to them, and they lack supporting infrastructure. Renewable energy systems like solar are too expensive up front, while sustainable agriculture requires training and initial investments in tools and organic inputs. Here at Nect Green Code, we bridge these gaps by training farmers in Smart Agriculture, connecting them to microfinance opportunities, and promoting low-cost renewable energy solutions such as solar dryers and biogas systems. Our programs empower communities to move from dependence on oil-based developments to self-reliance. That's what we do here at Nect Green Code.
Camoya: Given these financial barriers to solar power, how do you go about recommending communities to adopt it?
Eli: We work closely with local businesses, social enterprises, and partner organisations to reduce the cost barrier. Through these collaborations, we mobilise resources, provide subsidies or flexible payment options, and integrate solar solutions into community planning. At the same time, we invest in awareness and training so that rural communities understand the long-term benefits of solar energy and feel confident adopting it.
Camoya: And how have rural communities responded to solar power through your programs? Are they hesitant, excited, or concerned about the costs?
Eli: At the beginning, many community members were unfamiliar with solar power and renewable energy in general. However, through continuous education and sensitisation, they have come to understand how solar energy works and why it is important for their daily lives. Over time, this understanding has built confidence and excitement.
While the upfront cost remains a concern, partnerships with supportive companies have helped provide subsidies and flexible options. As a result, families are now able to replace candles with solar lighting, which improves safety, health, and overall quality of life.
What are the biggest challenges you face in opposing oil development in the region? How do you overcome these challenges?
Eli: There are a few challenges, but they are major. The many challenges we face here include political pressure. We cannot exercise what we are meant to do willingly and openly; there is corporate power from multinational companies that I have talked about. And then there is public misinformation. Oil companies frame extraction as development while considering the long-term environmental and social forces. Now activists also face intimidation and limited access to information. To overcome this, we need stronger international solidarity. We need documentation of advocacy and communication regarding these impacts. We also need to promote renewable energy alternatives that show people that sustainable development is both possible and beneficial.
Camoya: You mentioned intimidation and misinformation. Can you explain what that looks like in practice?
Eli: The government has strong financial interests tied to oil extraction, which makes open discussion about the risks of fossil fuels politically sensitive. When we engage communities to share information about the long-term environmental and social impacts of oil development, we often find that this contradicts official narratives. As a result, authorities sometimes intervene to stop community meetings, and in some cases, activists have been detained.
At the same time, oil companies promote extraction as development, often highlighting short-term benefits such as jobs or youth opportunities. What is left out of this narrative are the long-term costs, such as environmental degradation, loss of livelihoods, and climate impacts that communities will bear in the future. This selective messaging creates misinformation by presenting only immediate gains while concealing long-term consequences.
Camoya: What is the governmental conservation department or agency that is responsible for environmental protection?
Eli: Uganda has environmental institutions such as the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), but their effectiveness is undermined by the financial power of oil companies. Short-term economic gains are prioritised over long-term environmental and social well-being.
Many wildlife species have been displaced by forest destruction and pipeline construction. What does this displacement of wildlife mean for human communities? What animals are experiencing the highest levels of displacement from Uganda's forests?
Eli: Wildlife displacement increases human-wildlife conflict, crops are destroyed by elephants, predators attack livestock, and communities live in fear. Elephants, chimpanzees, and antelopes are among the most affected species. In Murchison Falls National Park, elephants are experiencing significant disruption from Tilenga oil operations and the EACOP infrastructure. Roads and pipelines fragment habitats, block migration routes, and increase the risk of poaching. Elephants, being migratory, rely on large connected landscapes, but EACOP’s route cuts through their natural corridors, forcing them closer to villages where they are seen as threats. This endangers both elephants and humans.
What efforts are underway to ease the ongoing tension between communities and elephants? Are there innovative solutions making a real difference on the ground?
Eli: Oh, yes, some mitigation measures exist, such as partial fencing and community awareness programs, but they are insufficient. While the government often denies links between oil development and increased conflict, local communities clearly observe that wildlife incursions have intensified since oil activities began.
Camoya: You mentioned earlier that the pipeline passes through a national park. Just to clarify, does it go through a protected area?
Eli: Yes, it does. The pipeline runs from Uganda to Tanzania, transporting oil for processing and export. Along its route, it cuts through highly sensitive ecosystems, including wetlands, forests, and sections of protected areas and national parks. These landscapes are critical for biodiversity, water systems, and community livelihoods.
Camoya: How do they justify doing that in a protected area? I thought one of the major points of protected areas was to keep them free from those things.
Eli: The justification comes from power imbalances. Large multinational oil companies wield significant economic and political influence, which often overrides long-term environmental protection and public interest. When these companies engage with governments, their priorities dominate the decision-making process. As a result, governments fail to adequately rethink, replan, or uphold conservation commitments, even in areas that are legally designated for protection.
What would it look like for you, Eli, to live in a world or community that centres care and eco-justice for ecosystems, wildlife, and people?
Eli: It would be a world where communities are not sacrificed for profit; where oil is left in the ground, and energy comes from the sun and wind; where forests and wildlife thrive alongside people. Eco-justice means balance, recognising that ecosystem health is directly tied to human dignity and the survival of future generations.
Learn more about Eli and his thoughts on renewable energy and the power of language in part two of this interview, published Monday, January 26th 2026.
Follow @WildWeStand on Instagram and LinkedIn for more conversations.
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