- Tsheole’s achievements included launch of SADC Green Bond Programme to support climate and environmental investments
- BSE to gain more recognition with him as CoSSE chairman and secretary
- Tsheole to serve two more years
KATLEGO RAKOLA
Stock exchanges in the SADC region have once again entrusted the CEO of Botswana Stock EXchange (BSE), Thapelo Tsheole, with the Chairmanship of the Committee of SADC Stock Exchanges (CoSSE), The Botswana Gazette has established.
Tsheole was returned after a successful four-year term during which he implemented a number of projects around development of SADC stock exchanges, including capacity building and assisting with listings in the region. He will serve two more years as Chairman of CoSSE in the new term.
In an interview afterwards, Tsheole said the 14 stock exchanges across 13 SADC countries believe in him because of the projects that he successfully implemented over the last four years. These include the launch of the Green Bond Programme to accelerate the take-up of green bonds by SADC member states to tap into local and international investments in green projects and assets. This is an exigency of the present times because green bonds are among financing options available to private firms and public entities to support climate and environmental investments.
Tsheole said under his leadership, CoSSE also attained the consensus and support of SADC central banks and finance ministers to use exchange structures for trading of government bonds on the secondary market. “In so doing, exchanges were recognised as secondary market platforms for securities within SADC, especially securities issued by governments, and subsequently allow for the deepening of the local currency bond markets,” he explianed.
Another of Tsheole’s major milestones entailed advancing regional integration of stock exchanges within SADC and beyond. Because of this, CoSSE is working in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDA) and the SADC Secretariat to enable cross-border investments and securities trading through an interconnectivity platform. CoSSE is also harmonising listings requirements of SADC exchanges.
“This will significantly improve investment flows into the region,” Tsheole noted.
CoSSE was able to renew its strategy by adopting the 2019-2923 strategy. This is important for guiding and informing strategic undertakings of the Committee and pursuing the CoSSE mandate of fast-tracking development of SADC capital markets. The CoSSE Secretariat serves as overseer, administrator and facilitator of the execution of the strategy.
Tsheole believes that with him as Chairman and Secretary of CoSSE, the BSE will be able to gain much more recognition because of the publicity that the local bourse will get. “Also because of the advantages we have over most of the projects which the BSE runs under CoSSE,” he said. “This benefits the local exchange.”
Tsheole was first elected as Chairman of CoSSE in 2018 when he took over from Zeona Jacobs of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. CoSSE was formed in 1997 to improve the operational, regulatory and technical keystones and capacities of SADC exchanges.
Currently the committee comprises 14 stock exchanges from 13 countries, including the stock exchanges of Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Dar-es-Salaam, Johannesburg, Malawi, Seychelles, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.