Mixed reactions as Trump okays oil drilling in US

US President Donald Trump holds former United States President Joe Biden's letter on the day he signs documents as he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House on Inauguration Day in Washington, US, January 20, 2025.
What you need to know:
- This order repealed his predecessor Joe Biden’s January 6 executive action that permanently banned future offshore oil and gas development in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The new President of the United States Donald Trump’s latest decision to sign an executive order approving oil drilling in some parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans was yesterday received with mixed reactions by the government and environmentalists in Uganda.
As officials from the Energy Ministry welcomed the idea, which they said demonstrates that oil and gas can be extracted sustainably, environmentalists said it will see more oil developments with a negative impact on the environment in Uganda.
A few hours after being sworn in as the 47th President of the US, Mr Trump signed 78 executive orders, including the one which greenlights the drilling of oil in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
This order repealed his predecessor Joe Biden’s January 6, executive action that permanently banned future offshore oil and gas development in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Speaking to Monitor, Ms Irene Batebe, the Energy Ministry permanent secretary, said: “It is good news to see that one of the leading states of the world is aligned to the fact that oil and gas can be extracted sustainably while putting into consideration the environment.”
She added: “As Uganda, we have always planned the development of our oil and gas in the context of the energy transition and the launch of the Energy Transition Strategy last year was a clear testament to this.”
Uganda’s oil and gas developments have in recent years faced significant setbacks due to backlash orchestrated by local and international activists who cite the projects’ likely negative impact on the environment.
The chief executive officer of the Africa Institute for Energy Governance, Mr Dickens Kamugisha, said: “It is absurd and unfortunate that the US can have a president who can sign an order reversing efforts by his predecessor in fighting against climate change. Mr Trump has always taken this as a joke, which must worry all poor countries who are majorly affected by climate change.”