How can govt integrate creativity into national development strategies?

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OPINION

By Benard Mujuni, Esq.

In East Africa, and probably Africa as a whole, Uganda has been ranked as the warmest and welcoming country. This is to add on the fact that Uganda has the best refugee policy that looks at the individuals as potential economic and social wellbeing.

For this, the population dividend of close to 1.5 million people on top of the 45 million Ugandans (2024, Census) provides immense opportunities for the creative economy to thrive.

This can spur the country into middle income by using social resilience capital dividend, hence exploiting our God given potential. Equally, the report by the EPRC and PSFU on the state of Entrepreneurship, 2025, the creative economy offers 45% of youth employment in Uganda.

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development is developing the National strategy and program on Social Capital Growth. Social and creative capital play a crucial role in national development, contributing to the well-being of its citizens, fostering economic growth, and promoting social cohesion.

Creative and social capital is the cheapest form of capital and has been the reason people raise big budgets to marry when they do not even have jobs, big burial ceremonies due to social appeal, build churches and other institutions.

Uganda, according to the World Bank, has been ranked as the number one country in entrepreneurship and creative start-ups. However, 40 % of these startups do not go beyond the three-year infancy stage, and most of them are informal, probably because of an inequitable tax regime and market entry barriers.

According to UBOS NHHS, 2024, this semi-formal unregulated sector employs more than 14.5 million people.

Of these, less than one percent are registered or legally recognised and thus do not pay taxes and statutory obligations. In addition, Social business startups and innovations lack interventions to address their plight and lack capital to spur innovations and growth.

Additionally, it should be noted that the Government loses billions of money in unpatented social innovations that go on untaxed. Events like blankets and wines, Bakiga Nation, and Marathons generate billions of revenue, but there is no proper social enterprise regulatory framework for them.

The creative economy nurtures civic engagement, participatory governance, and democratic legitimacy through dialogue, consensus-building, and accountability mechanisms. Moreover, its positive effects extend to health and well-being, where robust social networks offer emotional support, reduce stress, and improve access to healthcare services. In education, it facilitates learning, skill development, and knowledge transfer, bolstering educational attainment and workforce productivity through technology.

Recognising its pivotal role, policymakers and stakeholders are urged to prioritise investments and interventions that cultivate social capital across various levels, fostering inclusive and resilient societies poised for sustainable development.

The creative economy thrives on its ability to mobilise and turn social capital into economic capital, thereby monetising intangible culture.

It serves as a cornerstone for national development, contributing to economic prosperity, social cohesion, governance effectiveness, resilience, and well-being. Investing in the cultivation and maintenance of social and creative capital is essential for building resilient and inclusive societies that can thrive in an increasingly interconnected and complex global world. It allows global corroboration, thereby bridging enterprise, skills and technology gaps in an artificial intelligence-led global economy.

Social capital fuels community resilience, enabling communities to withstand and overcome adversity through collective action, innovation, and collaboration.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 70% of Ugandan communities demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability. It provided the only lifeline as people would be entertained, thereby offering healing and therapy.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), approximately 59% of households in Uganda participate in creative informal savings groups, underscoring their significance in enhancing financial inclusion and economic resilience.

Cooperative societies, ranging from agricultural cooperatives to housing cooperatives, are instrumental in leveraging social capital for economic development in Uganda. These cooperatives enable smallholder farmers, artisans, and other members to access markets, inputs, and financial services collectively.

In health, the creative Traditional Birth Attendants who harness traditional medicines and procedures are often respected members of their communities, play a crucial role in facilitating safe deliveries and maternal healthcare services, particularly in rural areas where access to formal healthcare facilities is limited.

According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS), about 40% of births in rural areas are assisted by TBAs, underscoring their importance in maternal healthcare provision and highlighting the significance of social and creative capital in promoting maternal and child health.

The digital economy has emerged as one of the leading employment avenues for the youth, accounting for more than 60% of the creative economy according the UBOS. However, the report stipulates that females lag far behind their male counterparts in accessing digital tools and technology.

This digital divide gap is a barrier to employment for women.

There is a need to leverage on bridging this gap. Community-based learning centres have been set up by the government to serve as creative hubs for knowledge sharing and skills development. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, there are over 15,000 community-based learning centres across the country, catering to diverse educational needs and creatively promoting lifelong learning opportunities.

Digital inclusion can spur inclusion and enable equitable distribution of development among the population. It can enhance a more people-centred growth by allowing unfettered movement of capital from the global north to the global south, thereby achieving the Ten-Fold Economic Growth strategy, which the country has set as its target.

The writer is a Commissioner, MoGLSD, Author & Poet www.mujunibenard.com