Ugandan inventive entrepreneur Julius Kyazze has been recognised among the many 100 Most Influential Africans, including one other continental recognition to a profession that has largely been spent constructing companies throughout music, leisure, media and the broader inventive financial system.
Kyazze is finest generally known as the co founding father of Swangz Avenue, one in every of Uganda’s most established music and leisure firms, which he began alongside Benon Mugumbya.
Over the years, nevertheless, his work has expanded past the music enterprise.
Through LIVE54+, Kyazze is now centered on constructing a wider African inventive group bringing collectively companies and investments throughout music, experiential advertising, media, content material, inventive companies and expertise.
For Kyazze, the popularity is important not solely personally, but additionally due to what it says in regards to the rising relevance of Africa’s inventive industries.
“I’ve at all times been extra snug constructing than speaking in regards to the constructing. So recognition like this can be a second to understand how far we now have come, but additionally to recollect how far more there may be to do,” Kyazze mentioned.
His journey began in Uganda, the place he has spent near 20 years constructing companies throughout the leisure and advertising industries.
Swangz Avenue has performed a big position in Uganda’s trendy music business, working with and growing a few of the nation’s most recognised artists whereas additionally increasing into occasions, content material manufacturing and different areas of leisure.
Kyazze has additionally been concerned in constructing Buzz Group Africa, an experiential advertising enterprise working throughout a number of African markets, in addition to different ventures throughout the inventive sector.
His greater ambition now’s to reveal that African creativity can produce greater than profitable artists, songs and occasions. It also can produce massive, investable African owned companies.
“Africa has already proved that we now have the expertise and the tradition,” Kyazze says. “The subsequent section is possession. We must construct the businesses, platforms, mental property and infrastructure round that creativity.”
The recognition comes as Kyazze more and more positions his work past Uganda, whereas sustaining that Uganda stays an essential a part of the story.
What began as a Ugandan music enterprise is regularly turning into a part of a a lot greater ambition: constructing African inventive firms able to competing throughout the continent and finally on the worldwide stage.
For Uganda’s inventive business, Kyazze’s continental recognition can also be one other indication that companies and concepts constructed throughout the nation can more and more discover relevance far past its borders.
For Kyazze, although, the message following the popularity was characteristically easy:
“There continues to be lots to construct.”