Stakeholders in Uganda's creative industry are set to meet this week to explore how intellectual property can be used as collateral to unlock financing for creatives, a move experts say could significantly boost the country's growing creative economy.
The Center for Law, Policy, and Innovation Initiative (CeLPII), in partnership with the Africa Creatives Alliance (ACA), will host a high-level dialogue on Intellectual Property (IP)-backed lending on March 19 at Motiv in Bugolobi.
The roundtable comes at a time when Uganda's creative economy -- which includes sectors such as film, fashion, music, literature, performing arts, and creative technology -- continues to expand but still faces major barriers to financing.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the creative economy refers to knowledge-based economic activities that form the foundation of creative industries. Globally, the cultural and creative industries are multi-trillion-dollar sectors and a significant source of employment and exports.
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Despite their potential, many creatives struggle to access funding due to the lack of conventional collateral required by financial institutions.
Experts say one possible solution lies in allowing creatives to use the intellectual property embedded in their work -- including copyrights, trademarks, and other intangible assets -- as security when seeking loans.
Uganda's Security in Movable Property Act (2019) already recognises intangible assets such as intellectual property as eligible forms of collateral. However, financial institutions have largely remained hesitant to extend credit on this basis.
Financial sector actors cite several challenges, including limited familiarity with IP valuation models, difficulty integrating intangible assets into existing credit risk frameworks, uncertainties around revenue streams from creative works -- particularly digital content -- and limited experience in managing or disposing of IP assets in cases of loan default.
The absence of standardised documentation and registration practices for copyrights has also contributed to the hesitation among lenders.
The upcoming roundtable seeks to bridge these gaps by bringing together key voices from the creative, legal, policy and finance sectors to explore practical pathways for operationalising IP-backed lending in Uganda.
Organisers say the dialogue will focus on increasing awareness of IP valuation models relevant to Uganda's creative economy while identifying policy, legal and institutional barriers that currently hinder IP-backed financing.
Participants will also develop priority action points that could inform updates to the national intellectual property policy and sector guidelines, while strengthening collaboration between government agencies, financial institutions, IP practitioners and creative industry stakeholders.
Yiga Nalubega Vanessa, Research Assistant and Policy Co-ordinator at the KTA Centre for Law, Policy and Innovation Initiative, said the conversation around intellectual property and financing must move beyond theory.
"As the creative sector continues to grow and generate valuable content, brands and innovations, the focus must now shift toward building practical mechanisms that allow creatives to leverage their intellectual property to access financing and scale their work," she said.
Amanda Gowa, Community and Program Development Lead at Africa Creatives Alliance, said creatives across the continent are increasingly producing work with real economic value, but that value often remains disconnected from financial systems.
"We see every day that creatives are building work with real value, but too often that value is still disconnected from the financial systems meant to support growth," she said.
She added that the roundtable would provide an important platform to explore how intellectual property can be better understood, protected and integrated into discussions about financing the creative economy.
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The discussions are expected to lead to the formation of a working group comprising representatives from the creative sector and financial institutions. The group will continue engagements aimed at developing practical recommendations and piloting models that allow creatives to use intellectual property as loan collateral.
Youth-focused organisation Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) will also participate in the discussions, highlighting the importance of intellectual property for young creatives entering the industry.
The organisation's involvement aligns with its Youth Empowerment, Livelihoods and Innovations programme, which promotes economic opportunities for young people through initiatives such as the Ikon Awards Young Filmmakers' Fellowship.
Stakeholders say strengthening intellectual property financing frameworks could play a crucial role in helping Uganda's creative economy unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation and employment.
