It is an honour to join you on this 14th National Development Policy Forum on the theme: “Creative Industries as Catalysts for Economic Growth: Harnessing Opportunities and Supporting Uganda’s Creative Talent.”
I would like to thank the National Planning Authority for providing this platform, where the public gets to contribute towards policy formulation. Today, I want to talk to you about how, together, we are going to unleash the power of our creative industries.
Through its rich cultural heritage and unlimited pool of talents, Uganda has the potential to develop new areas of wealth and employment. Our artists, cultural practitioners, and creative entrepreneurs have continued to shine both regionally and globally. Yet, the huge economic potential of Uganda’s creative industries remains untapped. This must end.
As the Government, we acknowledge that the works of the artists, cultural practitioners, and creative entrepreneurs is a vital part of our national life and our national economy. The creative industries attract a disproportionate number of youths and have a multiplier effect on other sectors, including tourism and manufacturing. This makes investing in the cultural and creative industry a key priority for combating youth unemployment, given that over 77% of our population is youth below the age of 30, as well as, wealth creation.
H.E. President Yoweri Museveni has committed to supporting the cultural and creative industries through a multi-pronged approach to address their challenges and harness the opportunities therein. However, our support will go beyond the financial. For instance, through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, we shall continue to protect our cultural heritage and promote our cultural diversity, which are sources of inspiration and strong determinants of creativity.
You may all be aware that we are already supporting innovation and creativity through broader initiatives like the Parish Development Model, EMYOOGA, and the Presidential Initiative on Skilling the Girl Child. These must be deliberately aligned to include creative value chains and digital content creation. In addition, we recognize that entrepreneurship and creativity are natural allies. The creative economy thrives when we nurture talent, promote creative education, and build linkages with tourism, technology, and manufacturing.
The Government shall consider the recommendations by this forum to help shape the structure around which the creative and cultural economy develops. Your views regarding, among others: copyright (Intellectual Property) protection; local creative infrastructure and cultural facilities; technology, internet quality and accessibility; tax regimes; education policies from school to tertiary; rights and status of artists; as well as, financial and administrative support, are welcome as we develop consensus not only a popular way forward, but a realistic one.
Dear distinguished dignitaries, you should also note that, as we make these plans, H.E. the President has often advised artists and other cultural and creative entrepreneurs to diversify their sources of income and not rely only on their talents if they want to create wealth. The NRM Government believes that each adult Ugandan must make sure that he/she belong somewhere in the four sectors of the economy: agriculture, industry, services, or ICT.
The creative industries belong to the service sector, which also includes transport, hospitality, salons, medical care, accounting and auditing, preaching, etc. However, you cannot do music or drama if you don’t have what to eat. That is why we advise that, as the artists specialize in the creative arts, some of the young people should also engage in the agriculture sector including crops, livestock, and Fisheries. If you all stay only in services, we shall import more food from outside, and that will be very costly. The ICT sector also enables people to provide services to organizations in different geographical locations through the internet in what we call Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and earn some good money.
Last but not least, tracking the performance of the sector is of utmost importance. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics and the Bank of Uganda should start tracking the economic contribution of the creative industries, including employment, revenue generation, and exports. This will guide the government to monitor the impact of initiatives aimed at fostering growth within the creative industries, formulate evidence-based policies, allocate resources more efficiently as well as inform future planning.
As I conclude, I call upon all stakeholders, including the artists and culture and creative practitioners and entrepreneurs, development partners, academia, civil society organizations, and the private sector, to join together in this endeavour. I believe that together, we can create an environment where every creative person has the opportunity to thrive, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of our nation.
