He made the intervention on February 6, 2026, during the National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano), following concerns voiced by popular musician Bruce Melodie, who said artists and digital content creators in Rwanda are unable to fully benefit from their online work.
Bruce Melodie noted that while creators in other countries directly generate significant income from social media platforms, Rwandans face restrictions that even push some to monetize their content through other countries.
He stressed that enabling monetization would help create jobs and reduce unemployment among young people.
In response, President Kagame questioned what was required to resolve the issue so that Rwandan social media users could earn income without having to register under other countries.
The Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, explained that for a country to qualify for social media monetization, platforms assess three key requirements. She revealed that Rwanda currently falls short on one of them: the level of advertising investment.
According to Minister Ingabire, platforms require a minimum advertising spend of between USD 1 million and USD 1.5 million from local advertisers.
She said discussions with the management of major social media platforms have already addressed the other requirements, leaving the need to scale up advertising investment as the main remaining challenge.
'This is something we all need to take on as a shared responsibility,' she said. 'Companies must recognise that social media platforms are also effective advertising spaces. We need mobilization to encourage businesses to advertise online.'
President Kagame directed the Ministry of ICT and Innovation to intensify awareness efforts targeting advertisers, enabling Rwandan users to generate income from their digital content.
'Let us carry out that mobilisation,' he said.
IGIHE
