Africa’s securities exchanges gather for their flagship conference in Johannesburg from 15-17 November. The 19th African Securities Exchanges Association annual summit is hosted by Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The association ASEA draws together 25 securities exchanges and ASEA President Oscar Onyema, CEO of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, says the theme – “Africa Evermore: Growth for sustainability” — emphasizes that Africa’s capital markets are stable, have huge potential and are growing.
The association has as objectives to develop its member exchanges and enhance their global competitiveness. Those at the conference are the major players in capital markets, including listed companies, trading participants, regulators, government representatives, technology providers, legal advisors, and institutional investors from Africa, Europe, and Asia. It’s an ideal opportunity to network and exchange information with industry leaders from across the continent.
Capital markets should be the key channel for the massive investment to fuel Africa’s economic growth of the coming 20-30 years, including finance for business, for infrastructure and for a social and development gains.
Onyema says ASEA’s mandate is not just to promote Africa as a sound investment destination which offers better returns than more developed markets but also to highlight that Africa has strong regulatory structures and that the capital markets and policy-makers are committed to transparency and governance as fundamental to a healthy business environment.
Zeona Jacobs, Director of Marketing and Corporate Affairs at the JSE and ASEA Executive Committee Member, says: “ASEA has been successful in attracting capital inflows to key markets in Africa by positioning them as key engines of economic growth and opportunities for business development. The conference highlights the important role its members have in advancing the exchange market and raising Africa’s global competitiveness in this sector.”
Themes and speakers
The conference agenda covers key topics for Africa’s exchanges including
• How the economic health of African countries affect the capital markets, with perspectives from issuers and investors as well as the exchanges
• Role of exchanges as corporate citizens
• Sustainable stock exchange
• Sovereign wealth fund and how they see African exchanges
• Is increasing liquidity and transparency a pipe dream?
• Friend or foe – prop trading firms in Africa
• How do African markets become more influential in shaping the global regulatory environment?
• Challenges and opportunities of commodity derivative exchanges
• Do we need a pan-African clearing house?
Speakers include the leaders and top executives of many top African exchanges as well as global exchanges such as Nasdaq, key banks, international and African stockbrokers, private equity and asset managers, IT providers to Africa’s exchanges, data and information vendors, government officials and leading regulators
Your writer on panel
Your writer is honoured to be sharing a panel talking about the key post-trade sector and also securities exchanges integration: “Does Africa need a need a pan-African clearing house serving all its exchanges across asset-classes?”, moderated by Leila Fourie, Director: Post Trade and Information Services, JSE, with speakers Terry Gibson (External Post Trade Consultant, MillenniumIT) and Selloua Chakri (Head of Market Structure Strategy, MEA, Bloomberg L.P.).
