Covid-19 Pandemic Deranging Energy Transition in Uganda: Challenges and Prospects
| Date | 01 August 2020 |
| DOI | 10.3366/gels.2020.0030 |
| Published date | 01 August 2020 |
| Pages | 211-216 |
The coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic is unsettling for economic growth and development,
As a result, Uganda's economic growth is predicted to slow to 3.5 per cent in 2020 from 4.9 per cent in 2019. Moreover, its public debt will rise to 46.3 per cent of its GDP.
This chapter thus examines the impact of the COVID-19 economic crisis on petroleum frontier states like Uganda amidst the growing global energy transition away from fossil fuels. Furthermore, it analyses the implications of COVID-19 on the energy transition in developing countries with Uganda as the case study. With the country's oil future thrown into uncertainty, the chapter argues for the management of expectations from the sector and an extension of resources and realignment of policies to aid the transition to cleaner energy sources.
With countries pausing economic expansion and placing much focus on deterring the spread of the disease and treatment of the afflicted, the energy industry has suffered a significant blow. This is due to the social distancing measures in place such as the strict lockdowns by states with the movement of people, vehicles, and aircrafts curtailed save for a few cargo transport vessels, leading to drop in the global demand for fuel. Reports indicate that with more than half of the world's population under lockdown, the global energy demand fell by 3.8 per cent during the first quarter of 2020 compared to the preceding year.
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