By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

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Digitalisation is transforming how creatives create and distribute their work and how the end users consume it.

For instance, a young musician can record themselves on a smartphone and instantly share on platforms like Instagram, where followers actively engage.

“While this presents entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for young Ugandan creatives, it requires a set of skills that are not formally taught at educational institutions. We refer to these as skills for a digital age,” says Grace Natabaalo, research lead at Caribou Digital.

A recent Caribou study found that young creatives recognise the value of incorporating technology in their work and are leveraging digital platforms in ways that benefit them, such as finding customers online or promoting their talents through social media platforms.

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The study shows that digital platforms have become an avenue to paid work opportunities for young creatives such as content creators and gamers.

“However, young creatives face relentless pressure to create in an environment where the digital audience is the first critic. Producing new content, innovating, monetising their work online, and gaining support and recognition from their families and friends can take a mental toll,” Natabaalo says.

Some professions such as musicians, artists, photographers, animators, cartoonists, and filmmakers are easier to adapt online than others such as performers poets, comedians, actors, but the conversion from being online to tangible income was not always clear.

“Most creatives find that getting online is only half the battle. It is easy to set up one’s online presence, but monetising it is more challenging as they are still learning how to navigate being online. While you might have many followers on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, you need to know how to monetise your presence by creating content that stands out to get noticed by advertisers or sponsors,” Natabaalo said.

“Many creatives find this challenging as they haven’t mastered the art of creating such good content (digital marketing) or lack the capacity to create this content,” Natabaalo added.

The report presents a range of recommendations and insights, including the need for a skills ecosystem that fosters collaboration between various stakeholders, government support for skilling initiatives, and the importance of nurturing public and private spaces for creatives to practice and showcase their work.

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According to Natabaalo, the overall recommendation is that various stakeholders in the sector (government, development partners, training institutions) need to rethink the skilling ecosystem for today’s young creatives.

“Young creatives require a set of skills that can enable them to navigate the digital world- from knowing how to use social media platforms to present their work and attract consumers, knowing how to negotiate contracts or how to navigate copyright online or even how to not only use Generative AI but also understand the ethics around it.”

“Alongside this, creatives spoke of a need for mentors, more spaces, and others as we elaborate in the recommendations section,” she added.