The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar N. Onyema has emerged the president of African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) following ASEAs election which took place at its 20th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held last week.

Mr. Karim Hajji CEO Casablanca Stock Exchange were equally re-elected as the Deputy President of the association .The re-election of the President and his Deputy follows a term of two (2) years since their first appointment in 2014 in those capacities. The AGM was attended by 16 Member Exchanges and two (2) Associate Members.

Other officers constituting the ASEA Executive Committee for the next 2 year term include, Mr. Geoffrey O. Odundo, CEO of Nairobi Securities Exchange, Ms. Zeona Jacobs, Director Marketing and Corporate Affairs Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Mr. Edoh Kossi Amenounve, CEO Bourse Regionale des Valeures Mobilieres, Mr. Mohammed Omran, CEO Egyptian Exchange, Mr. Thapelo Tsheole, CEO Botswana Stock Exchange and Mr. Pierre Ekoule, CEO Douala Stock Exchange.

Mr. Onyema thanked the Association for the support he had received during his past tenure as President of the Association and for entrusting him with the leadership of ASEA for yet another term. “I am grateful to my fellow Executive Committee Members, for the support and dedication shown to me and to ASEA. I humbly accept this new challenge and I look forward to further delivering on the promise of the Association in the two (2) years ahead;” he noted.

The Deputy President of ASEA, Mr. Hajji remarked that, “A lot of good work has been done by the Executive Committee, the Members and the Secretariat of ASEA in the last two (2) years and I look forward to the next two (2) years in propelling ASEA forward.”

The official opening of the 20th Annual ASEA Conference kicked off on November 28, 2016 at the Serena Hotel, in Kigali. The Conference themed; Road to 2030: Making the Capital Markets Relevant to the Real Economy” will seek to address the direct impact of the stock market on the livelihood of the African citizens. In his opening remarks during the officiating ceremony, Mr. Onyema noted that “The theme of this year’s Conference couldn’t be timelier in light of the prevailing economic headwinds; it provides us with an opportunity to deliberate on the appropriate responses to the challenges facing us as African economies.”

Dignitaries in attendance at the opening ceremony were the Right Honorable Prime Minister of Rwanda, Anastase Murekezi, several cabinet ministers including the Minister of Finance, Claver Gatete, Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, Hon John Rwangomba, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu and the Chairman of the Rwanda Stock Exchange, Dr. James Ndahiro.

The Conference has lined up a series of seasoned speakers who will engage the delegates from over 30 countries in robust discussions for the two (2) day Conference. Some of the speakers,