[2] The institute is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the town of Kigumba, off of the Kigumba–Karuma Road, in Kiryandongo District, Western Uganda.

This location lies approximately 41 kilometres (25 mi), by road, northeast of Masindi, the nearest large town in the sub-region.

[5] The institute was established in 2009[6] and admitted the first batch of students in 2010, with the objective of training personnel in petroleum-related skills, at certificate, diploma and undergraduate levels.

Financial assistance to the tune of US$8 million (UGX:20 billion), will be sought from the World Bank and Irish Aid, to achieve this goal.

[9] In 2014, the institute introduced five new internationally recognized programs to graduate "highly qualified and specialized" technicians needed by oil companies across the world.