Ugandan creative entrepreneur Julius Kyazze has been recognised among the 100 Most Influential Africans, adding a continental accolade to a career spanning music, entertainment, media, marketing and the wider creative economy.
Kyazze is best known as the co-founder of Swangz Avenue, the Ugandan music and entertainment company he established alongside Benon Mugumbya. But his business interests have expanded considerably beyond the music industry.
Through LIVE54+, Kyazze is now pursuing a broader African creative group bringing together businesses and investments across music, experiential marketing, media, content, creative services and talent.
For Kyazze, the recognition represents both a personal milestone and recognition of the potential of Africa’s creative industries.
“I’ve always been more comfortable building than talking about the building. So recognition like this is a moment to appreciate how far we have come, but also to remember how much more there is to do,” Kyazze said.
His entrepreneurial journey began in Uganda, where he has spent close to two decades developing businesses in entertainment and marketing.
Swangz Avenue has become an established player in Uganda’s modern music industry, working with and developing recognised artists while also expanding into events, content production and other entertainment ventures.
Kyazze has also been involved in Buzz Group Africa, an experiential marketing business operating across several African markets, alongside other ventures within the creative sector.
His ambitions have increasingly shifted toward building businesses around African creativity rather than focusing solely on individual artists or entertainment projects.
“Africa has already proved that we have the talent and the culture,” Kyazze said. “The next phase is ownership. We need to build the companies, platforms, intellectual property and infrastructure around that creativity.”
That vision is now being pursued beyond Uganda, although Kyazze continues to view the country as a central part of his story.
What began with a Ugandan music company has evolved into a broader ambition to build African-owned creative businesses capable of operating across the continent and eventually competing globally.
For Uganda’s creative sector, Kyazze’s recognition also highlights the growing continental reach of businesses built around the country’s music, entertainment and creative talent.
But despite the recognition, Kyazze is already looking beyond the accolade.
“There is still a lot to build,” he said.