The Uganda Securities Exchange (www.use.or.ug) has today (7 March) extended its trading to 5 days a week, up from 3 days.
USE Chief Executive Joseph Kitamirike said at a press conference on 4 March that it would help meet local and international demand. It will also match trading on other East African exchanges such as Dar Es Salaam and Nairobi, as the exchanges harmonize in terms of an East African common market.
The Daily Monitor newspaper reports him as saying: “This development will offer investors maximum opportunity to execute investment decisions and respond promptly to market changes.”
He earlier told the paper reasons for the extension were: increasing demand for company shares, regional integration and the desire to make trading easier: “It’s just to give an opportunity for people to trade. People sometimes make their decisions on Tuesday but they have to wait until Thursday to trade. We cannot keep our market closed on days when we can be trading across the border. If your market is closed and the other markets are open then investors who come through your market don’t have access to others.”
There are 14 companies listed for trading on the USE, including 6 cross-listing with the Nairobi Stock Exchange.
Another cross listing being processed is for UK’s Tullow Oil PLC (www.tullowoil.com), which operates Uganda’s three oil blocks. African Alliance is the adviser but the listing application was held up over a tax dispute on Tullow’s $1.45 billion purchase of 50% interests in exploration blocks formerly owned Heritage Oil PLC stakes completed last July. This dispute is reportedly close to conclusion.