Uganda's revising its Press Act to muzzle journalists in advance of oil development. Excellent.

Update on Uganda's oil exploration from the Daily Monitor's Angelo Izama.

Madagascar political crisis: "The stakes here have risen since oil was discovered three years ago."

The Rigzone Newsletter quoted the Dow Jones Newswires of February 20 (Kampala) reporting that Tullow Oil announced that its 2009 drilling program could put Uganda among the world's top 50 crude oil producers. However, the government should focus on further exploration rather than large-scale production according to country manager Brian Glover.

Many bluntly felt the Government was being deliberately deceitful in managing information about oil exploration. The most singular argument was that nothing the Government has said to date on oil gives any comfort that there will be transparency. Quite the opposite, the general opinion expressed was that oil will benefit a few rather than the majority of Ugandans.

Eight oil communities have instituted a law suit against Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Agip and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation for what it called gross injustice and unfairness to the host communities.

According to The New Vision, the area has been divided into nine blocks, five of which have been licensed to Heritage Oil and Gas Uganda Ltd (Heritage), Tullow Uganda Operations Ltd (Tullow Oil), Neptune Uganda Ltd. (Neptune) and Dominion Uganda Ltd (Dominion). It is to be noted that over 15 oil wells with reserves have been discovered.

People of Uganda though celebrating are keen on seeing what the Money will be used for-Uganda's riches are close-yet so far. They will have to wait a bit longer as the wars over pricing between the government and the Oil companies continue.

Six Ghanaians, a Nigerian have been charged with stealing 4,000 metric tonnes of crude oil in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, anti-corruption agency in that country said on Wednesday. About 100,000 barrels of crude are stolen every day, about 5 percent of daily output in the world's eighth biggest oil exporter.