South Africa is set to host the 19th annual African Securities Exchanges Associations (ASEA) Conference, which will be taking place at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg from 15 – 17 November. This is the first time that this event will be hosted in the country.
ASEA is the premier association of 25 African securities exchanges and their mandate is to promote Africa not only as a sound investment destination offering better returns than more developed markets but one that also incorporates strong regulatory structures.
The conference which is being hosted by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) – ranked the 19th largest stock exchange in the world and the largest on the continent – will highlight how ASEA and its stakeholders are implementing best practice to compete globally for foreign direct investment (FDI), attract capital flows, and boost investor confidence.
ASEA executive committee member Zeona Jacobs, director of marketing and corporate affairs at the JSE, says, “By hosting this event, the JSE will serve to further position Africa as a serious global contender in the financial services and securities exchange sector.”
“Over the last ten years, the continent has posted steady growth, standing up to the impact of global shocks and becoming an investment destination of choice. A combined projected GDP growth above 5% in 2015 and the world’s largest youth demographic indicates that Africa is positioned to compete effectively with economies such as China and India over the next 20 years. Capital markets have been the key drivers of this economic transformation and they continue to play a central role in Africa’s growth story,” she added.
Nicky Newton-King, CEO of the JSE, will speak on the role of the JSE as a corporate citizen. Speakers also include Mohammed Omran, the Chairman of the Egyptian Exchange, Professor of Finance at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Edoh Kossi Amenounve, CEO of the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) and the Central Depository/Settlement Bank. BRVM is an electronic stock exchange for eight West Africa countries based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The conference, which is being organised by MCI South Africa is expected to attract major players in the African capital markets, including listed companies, trading participants, regulators, government representatives, technology providers, legal advisors, and institutional investors from Africa, Europe, and Asia.
“ASEA has been successful in attracting capital inflows to key markets in Africa. The conference highlights the important role its members have in advancing the exchange market and raising Africa’s global competitiveness in this sector”, concluded Jacobs.
