Africa, buffeted by fiscal, environmental and political risks, urgently needs to develop vibrant capital markets to bolster its economic growth and accelerate sustainable development, financial experts have argued.

Participants at the 27th African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) Conference, hosted in Gaborone, Botswana from 26-27 November 2024 underscored that Africa can benefit from viable capital markets through the mobilisation of domestic resources at a time the continent is facing high indebtedness and the lack of affordable finance.

“Access to finance is a major constraint to African development and capital markets are a key player to overcome this constraint,” said Jean-Marc Kilolo, Economic Affairs Officer, with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), speaking at the opening of the conference.

Organized by the the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA), the African Securities Dealers Association (ASSDA), African Exchange Linkage Project (AELP) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the two-day conference will explore the theme, “Enhancing Africa’s Capital Markets Collaboration and Integration through the AELP.”

The chair of the Botswana Stock Exchange, Kopano Bolokwe, noted that some significant strides have been made in the regional AELP project as an avenue for fulfilling long-held aspirations for the integration of African capital markets.