The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in collaboration with the Milken Institute is set to host the inaugural edition of its Webinar Series on Sustainable Capital Markets for West Africa on Friday, June 5, 2020, by 2:30 pm. The webinar themed, Fundamentals of Developing Green Bond Markets, is supported by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to the NSE, the forum will provide a platform for policymakers, government, regulators, West African financial market participants, domestic and international thought leaders on green finance, investors and other market stakeholders to share valuable experiences and best practices on green finance and promote the development of sustainable finance market segments within securities exchanges in the region. Interested participants should register by clicking here.
“At the NSE, we are resolute in our commitment to promoting sustainable finance because we recognize that urgent action is required to combat climate change and its impact as enshrined in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” the exchange’s chief executive Oscar Onyema said, speaking to the strategic objectives of the webinar.
“We are committed to fostering the growth of sustainable financial products which integrate the financial risks and opportunities associated with climate change and other environmental challenges,” the CEO said, adding that the collaboration with the Milken Institute provides the course with an opportunity to further contribute to the advancement of the green finance markets as well as to highlight its leadership role in this area.
“We are pleased to support the Nigerian Stock Exchange in their commitment to developing green bond markets at home and in West Africa. Nigeria’s experience building its local market and its recent green bond issuance can provide valuable insights for West African countries,” said Staci Warden, executive director of Milken Institute.
“Building these markets takes intentional and coordinated efforts to create the regulatory environment that can attract qualified issuers and investors,” she continued, “this virtual meeting will help countries as they design and navigate their own road maps for creating sustainable capital markets.”
The green finance journey in Africa’s largest economy began with the launch of the first fully certified Sovereign Green Bond in Africa by NSE, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Finance, and the Debt Management Office, and has since led to various strategic partnerships and landmark listings.
Meanwhile, the NSE continues to promote the development of the Green Finance market as evident in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) in 2019 to promote cross-listing and trading of green bonds in Nigeria and Luxembourg. This partnership has already yielded its first fruit with the successful cross-listing of Access Bank’s ₦15 Billion Green Bond on the NSE and LuxSE.
Furthermore, the exchange supports capacity development and investor awareness through the NSE X-Academy, a specialized learning center that offers bespoke capital market and business courses including courses across the Sustainable Finance theme.
