By Juma Nsamba
Uganda’s creative industry has been handed three things in the 2026/27 Budget: money, legal protection and a promised home.
Finance Minister Henry Musasizi said government has provided Shs33 billion to establish a revolving fund for musicians and other creatives. The money is meant to support enterprise growth and job creation in the arts sector.
Part of that money is already moving. By December 2025, about Shs18.99 billion had been disbursed to 50 SACCOs of musicians, benefiting 3,047 individuals. Of those, 62 percent are youth and 43 percent are women.
The message is clear: artists who want to benefit will have to organise. Government is pushing the sector through SACCOs, not loose handouts. That means groups, records, savings, repayment and formal structures.
For musicians, producers, performers and other creatives, this could open access to cheaper capital for studio work, equipment, events, video production, marketing, transport, costumes and small creative businesses.
The Budget also speaks to copyright. Government says it enacted the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Amendment Act, 2025 to protect intellectual property and artistic works.
That is where the real money sits. Without copyright enforcement, artists remain famous but broke. Their songs play in bars, taxis, radios, events, adverts and online platforms, but the money does not always return to the creator.
If the law is enforced, it could improve earnings from music, film, photography, comedy, theatre, publishing, digital content and public performances.
Government also says it is finalising the acquisition of a dedicated home for creative artists, to work as a common-user facility for young talents to create wealth and jobs.
That home will matter only if it is functional. Creatives need studios, rehearsal rooms, editing suites, training spaces, performance areas and business support. A building without equipment will not change much.
The creative sector has also been placed under the wider Science, Technology, Innovation, ICT and Creative Industries budget, which gets Shs1.140 trillion in FY2026/27. The priorities include commercialising innovations, expanding digital infrastructure, growing business process outsourcing, expanding free-to-air TV signal and strengthening intellectual property protection.
This is important because the creative economy is now tied to phones, internet, mobile money, streaming, advertising and digital platforms. Uganda has 18.5 million active mobile internet subscriptions, 20 million smartphones on networks and 36.7 million active mobile money accounts.
A singer can sell tickets by mobile money. A comedian can fill a show from TikTok. A filmmaker can publish online. A photographer can sell campaigns to brands. A content creator can earn from advertising. The Budget is beginning to recognise that this is business, not just entertainment.
