Creative Economy Insights

The Moonshot 8: An Orchestrated and Prosperous Creative Economy, Catalyzing Sustainable Growth in Africa examines the structural conditions needed to activate Africa’s cultural and creative industries as drivers of economic growth, youth employment, innovation, and sustainable development.

The primary objective of the underlying study was to support and guide policymakers in adopting a collaborative, orchestration-focused approach and embracing the concept of the creative economy, with particular emphasis on taking active steps to activate it.

The report takes a systemic view of the creative economy, identifying key ecosystem “cornerstones” such as governance, data, infrastructure, education and training, intellectual property, finance, investment, incubators, hubs, market access, and social protection. It argues that Africa’s creative economy is underperforming not because of a lack of creativity, but because the enabling systems required to transform creative potential into economic value remain fragmented, underdeveloped, or weakly coordinated.

The report positions ecosystem orchestration, intermediary capacity, Pan-African collaboration, and targeted investment mechanisms as central to building a more connected, prosperous, and future-ready creative economy across the continent.

Author: Johanna Kouzmine-Karavaïeff

We are pleased to share Creative Capital: Aligning Financing with Business Models in Africa’s Creative & Cultural Industries, a new guide developed by Kerawa Partners.

As Africa’s creative ecosystem continues to grow, access to capital remains a central challenge. Yet beyond questions of funding availability, many creative entrepreneurs face a deeper issue: how to identify capital that aligns with their business model and growth ambition.

This guide takes a business model-driven approach to CCI financing by exploring how content, product, and service-based creative businesses grow differently and why grants, debt, Venture Capital or Private Equity do not serve them in the same way.

It is designed to support creative entrepreneurs in clarifying their business models and growth ambitions before engaging with financiers, while contributing to more structured and informed conversations around CCI financing across the continent.

The Atlas: Uganda Music Industry Report 2025 offers a clear, data-led snapshot of how Uganda’s music industry actually works today. Produced by our partner AUMEX, the report moves beyond headlines to map who is creating music, how value flows, where it breaks down, and why most artists struggle to earn sustainably.

Drawing on industry data, creator surveys, and consumer insights, the report surfaces hard truths—from the awareness–action gap in copyright and monetisation, to the real role of radio, digital platforms, live performance, and brand partnerships. It also outlines practical pathways for reform, investment, and ecosystem building.

This report is a useful reference for artists, investors, policymakers, platforms, and anyone shaping Africa’s creative economy.

This document is a variation of the report The Moonshot 8: An Orchestrated and Prosperous Creative Economy, Catalyzing Sustainable Growth in Africa. The primary objective of the underlying study was to support and guide policymakers in adopting a collaborative, orchestration-focused approach and embracing the concept of the creative economy, with particular emphasis on taking active steps to activate it. This version is focused on the members of the alliance: Creative hubs, pre-incubators, incubators, accelerators and makerspaces.