Co-productions and regional collaborations are the future of Ugandan content

What the report says

The Observer published a commentary arguing that the next phase of Ugandan film and television growth will depend not only on financing, but on co-productions and regional partnerships. The writer, identified as the local content marketing manager at MultiChoice Uganda, says Ugandan creators face high production costs and stiff competition from larger industries such as Nollywood and Hollywood, making collaboration a practical way to share risk, combine skills and reach wider audiences.

The article points to changing viewing habits across Africa, where audiences increasingly watch stories from other countries if the content connects with them. As an example, it cites the 2008 MNet series “Changes,” a Kenyan-based production that included Ugandan and Tanzanian talent such as Gaetano Kaggwa, Suzan Nalwoga, Cleopatra Koheirwe and Adam Juma. The writer says such casting helped build an East African audience by giving viewers familiar faces and cultural reference points across borders.

The commentary also argues that collaboration should not dilute Ugandan identity. It says stories rooted in Kampala, local languages, humour, music and social experience can still travel because themes such as family, ambition, love and resilience are widely understood. The Ugandan series “Sanyu” is presented as an example of locally grounded content that appealed beyond its home market.

The Observer piece says streaming platforms have reduced some distribution barriers, but cross-border success still requires deliberate networks among creators, broadcasters, producers and investors. It calls for more industry meeting spaces, supportive policy tools such as co-production agreements and incentives, and a broader mindset among Ugandan creatives seeking audiences across Africa.