Creatives to participate in the Africa Creatives Challenge by MoTIV

Kampala, Uganda: | THE INDEPENDENT |  MoTIV Africa has announced the Africa Creatives Challenge, an exciting competition aimed at sparking transformative innovation within Africa’s creative landscape. The Challenge will support the top two projects with a $6,000 grant each.

The challenge, according to Marie-Franz Fordjoe, Lead -MoTIV West Africa, is designed to empower creatives across disciplines including art, media, tech, fashion and design, especially those in the early stages of business development.

Fordjoe said, “The Africa Creatives Challenge targets creatives with innovative projects or ideas but lacks the necessary technical and financial support to bring them to life.”

Following its successful launch in Ghana in 2023, this year’s edition targets creatives in Uganda.

Uganda’s creative landscape continues to grapple with multiple challenges, including limited access to financing, an unsupportive policy environment, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of professional capacity. These factors continue to contribute to the sector’s lag. This is compounded by the unawareness or disregard for the sector’s potential to significantly contribute to economic development.

Against this background, this year’s Africa Creatives Challenge presents a unique opportunity for individuals, teams, and organizations across Uganda to showcase their innovative ideas and contribute to shaping the continent’s creative sector.

In addition to the prize package, the winners will have access to various capacity building sessions at MoTIV Uganda, mentorship, networking opportunities, and venture development tools to give their ideas the best chance at morphing into sustainable, profitable businesses.

“I urged all creatives across the country to submit their compelling pitches outlining how they would utilize the grant funding to bring their projects to life and contribute significantly to the growth of Africa’s creative economy,” Fordjoe said, adding, this challenge is more than receiving a grand but rather building a vibrant community of creatives who can inspire change and drive innovation in the creative economy.

“Engagement with Uganda’s talented creatives through the Africa Creatives Challenge should be enlightening and wildly innovative. We look forward to receiving dozens of impressive proposals,” Fordjoe said.

He said MoTIV remains committed to building a resilient creative sector in Uganda by creating pathways that provide essential tools, skills development, and financial opportunities. “These initiatives are designed to remove barriers and foster an environment of support, providing access to resources hence unlocking their full potential, driving innovation and growth within the sector.”