KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni has pledged Shs5 billion to support a Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation (SACCO) for Uganda’s organised content creators, formally recognising the sector’s growing role in the country’s wealth creation ecosystem.
Speaking during an engagement focused on promoting locally made products, Mr Museveni described content creation as a modern form of sales promotion that helps connect producers to consumers, particularly through social media platforms.
“What you are calling content is sales promotion for people to know about goods and people buy it. That should be supported, especially if you are promoting local products. Then you become a useful partner,” he said.
The President encouraged content creators to package Ugandan goods professionally for both domestic and international markets, adding that government backing would prioritise structured and organised groups.
“If you have got groups doing that, we shall support them,” he said.
Recognising the digital economy
President Museveni noted that the practice of promoting products through content is not new but represents an evolution of traditional marketing models. In earlier decades, companies relied heavily on radio and television advertising to build brand awareness.
He cited Nytil, a textile product manufactured in Jinja during the 1960s, as an example of how local brands were aggressively marketed across East Africa through conventional media.
“In the chain of wealth creators, a layer of operators has come up to use social media as an easy way of communication to package and present products to the consumers. That is useful,” Mr. Museveni said.
His remarks signal growing official recognition of Uganda’s digital creative economy, which has expanded rapidly in recent years as smartphone penetration and internet access have increased.
Platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram have enabled Ugandan creators to monetise content through advertising partnerships, brand endorsements and cross-border marketing.
Strengthening the sector through a SACCO
The proposed Shs5 billion capital injection into a dedicated SACCO aims to provide structured financial support to organised content creators.
SACCOs in Uganda typically offer members access to credit, savings mobilisation and investment opportunities, tools that could help creators professionalise operations, invest in production equipment and expand their audience reach.
Government officials have increasingly emphasised the creative and digital industries as part of broader economic transformation strategies, particularly in tackling youth unemployment.
Uganda’s population remains one of the youngest globally, with a significant proportion engaged in informal or digital income-generating activities.
Industry observers say formal financial inclusion mechanisms could stabilise earnings in a sector often characterised by irregular income streams.
Economic context
The creative economy is gaining prominence across East Africa, with governments exploring policy frameworks to regulate digital monetisation, intellectual property protection and online taxation.
Uganda has previously introduced measures affecting social media usage, underscoring the complex relationship between regulation and digital entrepreneurship.
Museveni’s latest pledge positions content creators within the broader national development agenda, framing them as partners in promoting “Buy Uganda, Build Uganda” initiatives and strengthening domestic value chains.
If implemented effectively, the SACCO could serve as a pilot model for supporting emerging digital sectors through cooperative financing structures.