Rwandan creatives, from animators and filmmakers to designers and photographers, are set to benefit from MURIKA, a new digital platform designed to support the country’s growing creative economy and connect talent with real, paid opportunities.

The platform, launched on February 20, provides Rwanda’s first structured digital ecosystem focused on helping creatives build professional careers, access verified opportunities, and connect directly with clients, collaborators, and institutions.

Developed in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Arts, KinaRwanda, L’Espace, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), MURIKA represents a major step toward building long-term digital infrastructure for Rwanda’s creative sector.

Why is MURIKA a new digital home for Rwanda’s creative talent?

While Rwanda’s creative industry continues to expand, many artists still face barriers such as low visibility, fragmented networks, unpaid work, and unclear hiring systems. MURIKA aims to address these challenges by providing a trusted, professional digital environment where creatives can build verified profiles, showcase portfolios, and access transparent opportunity listings.

Unlike social media platforms, MURIKA is designed as structured professional infrastructure. It combines verified creative portfolios, opportunity listings, discipline-based communities, and a knowledge hub covering pricing, contract templates, intellectual property, and career development.

The platform helps transition creative work from informal activity into sustainable, income-generating careers while making it easier for clients and institutions to discover trusted talent.

Malik Shaffy, Managing Director of KinaRwanda, said the platform marks an important milestone for Rwanda’s creative economy.

"For a long time, talent has been everywhere, but opportunities and visibility haven’t been organized. MURIKA changes that. It gives creatives a place to be seen, trusted, and get paid. It also gives clients a direct path to verified talent, and this is how we grow a creative economy that pays,” he said.

Creative professionals have also welcomed the initiative.

David Sindambiwe, a Kigali-based visual creative, said, "Platforms like MURIKA are important because they give creatives visibility and access to opportunities that were previously difficult to find. It creates a more professional environment where creative work is respected and valued.”

MURIKA is currently in its beta phase, allowing creatives, clients, and partners to join the platform, test features, and provide feedback to help improve the system.

The platform is open to creatives, organizations, and institutions across Rwanda via www.murika.rw

Creatives can build professional profiles and showcase their work, while clients can discover verified talent and collaborate with confidence.

The team encourages users to share feedback directly through MURIKA’s social media channels, including X/Twitter [https://x.com/murikarw__?s=21] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/murika.rw], as part of its ongoing development.