For many years, conversations about the future of Ugandan film and television have centered on funding. We have often asked where the money will come from, who will invest and how local creators can compete with content from larger markets like Nollywood or even Hollywood.
These are important questions, but increasingly, I believe the future of Ugandan content will not be determined by funding alone. It will be shaped by partnerships.
Across Africa, audiences are changing fast. People are not just sitting around watching content from their own countries anymore. For instance, a Ugandan can binge a Kenyan series without blinking or a Nigerian might find themselves hooked on a South African drama. If the story is good, it doesn’t matter where it is from and that opens up a huge door for us. This means Ugandan content doesn’t have to stay boxed into our borders, it can totally be made with the entire continent in mind.
Making content has increasingly become costly. Producing high quality television shows and films requires investment in writing, directing, production design, equipment, post production, marketing and distribution. Most of the local producers probably lie awake at night wondering how to carry all those costs alone.
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That is where collaborations and co-productions could really save the day. If producers, writers, broadcasters and production companies joined forces, they would share all that risk, pool their resources and at the end of it, put out a production way bigger and better. But more importantly, they create content with a larger potential audience from the outset.
We have already seen examples across Africa where collaborative productions have achieved greater reach and impact than projects developed by a single market. Take for example the 2008 MNet series Changes which was based in Kenya, but not only featured Kenyan talent but also Ugandan and Tanzanian actors such as Gaetano Kaggwa, Suzan Nalwoga, Cleopatra Koheirwe and Adam Juma.
The series built a regional following because viewers from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania recognised familiar faces, accents and cultural experiences. It demonstrated that East African audiences were ready to embrace stories that transcended national borders rather than being confined to one country.
Regional partnerships can help bridge this gap. Imagine a drama series developed by Ugandan writers featuring talent from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania and distributed across multiple African markets from day one. That kind of collaboration doesn’t just boost budgets, it amps up viewership and even commercial prospects.
Collaboration does not mean losing our identity. In my view, the opposite is true. The best collaborations thrive on authenticity. Audiences are not looking for generic African stories, they are looking for real stories told from specific places and perspectives.
A story set in Kampala should still feel like Kampala. Our languages, humour, music, traditions and experiences remain our greatest creative assets. What changes is the size of the stage on which those stories are presented.
On multiple occasions, we have seen productions created with Ugandan viewers in mind frequently find enthusiastic audiences elsewhere in Africa because while the settings, cultures and experiences may be distinctly Ugandan, the underlying themes of ambition, family, resilience, love and community are universal. The best case for this is the Sanyu series which won African hearts for four straight seasons.
The rise of streaming platforms has accelerated this trend. Distribution barriers that once limited content to national broadcasters are gradually disappearing. Today, a well-produced Ugandan story can potentially reach audiences across Africa and beyond.
It is exciting to think about, but it doesn’t just happen. It takes intentional effort to build those networks between creators, producers, broadcasters and investors across the region. We need more platforms where creatives can meet to brainstorm, exchange ideas and identify opportunities to work together. We need policy makers to develop frameworks such as co-production agreements or investment incentives that make cross-border productions easier to execute and investors who understand that African content markets are increasingly becoming interconnected.
For Ugandan creators just getting started, think bigger. Don’t just make content for Uganda, build stories that can connect with audiences in Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg and even cities you haven’t thought about yet.
Uganda has got the talent, stories and creativity. The next step is to team up, collaborate and dream beyond borders because when we join forces as African storytellers, we are not just expanding markets, we are growing industries, creating jobs, teaching new skills and making sure that African stories continue to be told by Africans.
The writer is the Local Content Marketing Manager at MultiChoice Uganda, a Canal +Company.
