08 Oct 2025

Government plans to establish a Content Monetisation Hub as part of a broader strategy for the sustainable development and growth of the creative industry.

This was said by Minister of Sport and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng during an interaction meeting alongside Minister for State President, Moeti Mohwasa and the Creative Arts Associations executive committee members on Monday.

Kelebeng said the planned Content Monetisation Hub aimed to guide creators on how to profit from digital platforms and protect their intellectual property.

“This is part of the government’s efforts to transform the creative industry into a sustainable economic contributor.

He added that the ministry recently had virtual engagements with global digital platforms like Google and TikTok to address challenges faced by local content creators, particularly around monetisation. 

He further stated that the ministry was also focused on creating an enabling environment to unlock new economic opportunities.

Addressing the creatives, Minister Mohwasa affirmed government’s commitment to developing, diversifying and investing in the creative industry for sustainability.

He therefore urged creatives to regularly engage and collaborate with the private sector as well as government to facilitate economic growth within the sector.

Members of the Creative Art Associations had raised a number of issues and challenges, including funding, creative welfare, capacity workshops, infrastructure facilities, subsidies and standardised rates.

They had appealed to government to formalise the creative sector to enable its growth.

In response, Minister Mohwasa assured members that some of their issues should be addressed by the end of this month. He emphasised the need for collaboration between government and the private sector to elevate the industry.

For his part, Tonderai Tsari of the Business Botswana Creative Arts and Media Sector proposed several financial reforms to strengthen the industry.

Tsari challenged the Departments of Broadcasting and Information Services to commercialise, particularly by retaining and reinvesting their advertising revenues.

“According to budget estimates, DBS makes P27 million and Information Services makes P30 million, so I would ask minister to leave the money here and not put it to a consolidated fund,” Tsari said. 

He argued that if such revenue stayed at both departments and was used exclusively for content acquisition, it would lead to increased value. Furthermore, Tsari advocated for compelling streaming broadcast services such as Netflix to reinvest part of their revenues in content creation, a practice already adopted by some countries, following the endorsement of the National Creative Arts and Film Fund from Parliament and the digital trade, to help unlock the funding that everyone desperately needed. 

“Can we have a five per cent levy imposed on Netflix and others that they have to reinvest in local content creation, and if they do not want to do that, it goes to government fund,” he said.

Tsari also called for reforms in how creative services were procured by government, arguing that there should be a new category that was not solely guided by the lowest cost to ensure quality and fair compensation for creators. ENDS