GULU CITY, December 30, 2025 – Creative artists from Northern Uganda under the West Nile, Acholi, Lango and Karamoja [WALK] Creative Arts Foundation are set to launch a Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation [SACCO] on January 1, 2026, aimed at promoting the saving culture and investment for the future.
The Foundation, which brings together musicians, dancers, filmmakers, producers, fashion designers, DJs and photographers from the region, recently received Shs 1 billion from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development [MGLSD].
According to the WALK Chairperson, Solomon Aboda, who is also a music promoter, the fund will operate on a revolving basis and will only be accessible to fully registered members.
Speaking at a press conference held on Tuesday morning at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu City, Aboda said the SACCO already has close to 200 registered members and continues to welcome more creatives.
“We welcome all creatives, including journalists, to join the WALK Creative Arts Foundation and benefit from this fund. This will not be free money,” Aboda said. “To become a fully registered member, one must pay Shs 10,000 as a subscription fee, Shs 20,000 for membership, and purchase at least two shares at Shs 50,000 each.”
He added that the SACCO will also provide financial literacy training to help artists attain financial independence, which he noted has remained elusive for many in the creative industry.
“Artists often resort to public fundraising when faced with financial challenges, but we want to put an end to that. Artists earn money from their music, concerts and fans, yet it is rarely invested wisely,” he said.
Aboda stressed that the SACCO would eliminate excuses for not saving.
“Those without bank accounts can save and grow their money through the SACCO instead of wasting it,” he added.
On the same day as the launch, the foundation will also recognise several musicians, including legendary artists who composed and performed songs of peace during the more than 20-year Lord’s Resistance Army [LRA] insurgency in Northern Uganda.
President Yoweri Museveni is among those expected to be recognised for ensuring government financial support for artists.
BSG Labongo, a representative of artists living with physical disabilities, said the fund would be life-changing, particularly for veteran artists who sacrificed financially to uplift communities during the conflict.
“Many legendary artists are now poor because they sang for free to encourage people at a time when communities were displaced into Internally Displaced Persons [IDP] camps,” said Labongo, himself a renowned artist.
The WALK Creative Arts Foundation was formed in 2023 with the aim of transforming the lives of creative artists in Northern Uganda. Its patron is Sylvia Damalie Owori, a fashion designer and Director of Operations at Operation Wealth Creation [OWC].
https://thecooperator.news/owc-to-donate-2-5mln-coffee-seedlings-to-creative-artists/
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