The project is dubbed: Creating Measures to Provide a Tax Incentive and Encourage Formation of and Coordination among Professional Film Associations.  It is a year-long project involving wide-reaching multi-stakeholder consultations culminating into the development and implementation of a number of strategic measures aimed at addressing some of the major challenges affecting Uganda’s emerging film sector.

Speaking at the project's official launch in Kampala, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Mr James Ebitu said the project is a timely step towards achieving Government’s plans for the culture and creative sub-sector following its prioritisation as a major driver for economic development in the 2020/21-2024/25 Third National Development Plan (NDPIII) and the Second Social Development Sector Plan, 2020/21-2024/25. "The project will complement other existing Government policies and initiatives geared towards the building of a strong domestic film industry that will solve Uganda’s youth unemployment problem, earn the country millions of dollars in foreign exchange and spearhead the shaping of local content and national identity," he said. 

According to the project’s Focal Person, the Commissioner, Culture and Family Affairs at the Ministry, Ms. Naumo Juliana Akoryo, a National Team of 30 representatives of various Film Guilds and Ministries, Department and Agencies has been set up, and a work plan crafted to ensure that challenges faced by the film industry are addressed under the project.

Addressing attendees at the launch of the project, Ms. Anna Merrifield, the European Union Delegation Chargée d’Affaires a.i., stressed the importance of ensuring that “legislation and policy reform of the film industry guarantee freedom of expression and room for independent film makers.”

During her opening remarks, the Secretary-General of the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO, Ms. Rosie Agoi, highlighted how one of the goals of the UNESCO 2005 Convention for Cultural Diversity is to ensure a balanced flow of cultural goods and services.  “We need to ensure we have Ugandan films at the theatre, Ugandan music on the radio, Ugandan books in the library, Ugandan art in the museums—and we also need to ensure we have a diversity of cultural goods from other countries, so that we are not only seeing American or Bollywood films, but we can see Kenyan films and hear Brazilian music and watch Indoneisan theatre,” she said.

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