(Nairobi, 20 July 2016) The stock exchanges of Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania announced their partnership with the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative this afternoon at the SSE Executive Dialogue on Green Finance in Nairobi, Kenya. CEOs of all three exchanges participated in the dialogue, which looked at the role stock exchanges can play in financing the transition to a green economy.

“The Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative was built on the observation that stock exchanges are willing and able to make a strong contribution to sustainable development,” UNCTAD Director of Investment and Enterprise James Zhan said at the opening of the dialogue, which took place within the UNCTAD World Investment Forum 2016.”We are very happy to see so many stock exchanges in Africa step forward to do their part towards achieving the sustainable development goals.”

“Stock exchanges play a crucial role in driving the growing green economy that is vital to implementing the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable  Development. We welcome the commitments of the stock exchanges of Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania that are putting sustainability at the heart of their business strategy,” said Ligia Noronha, Director of UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics.

The SSE's 14 Partner Exchanges in Africa cover 20 countries

“It is a historic moment for the BSE as we join the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative of the United Nations.  This comes at an opportune time when the BSE is positioning itself as an international player within global markets, said Botswana Stock Exchange CEO, Thapelo Tsheole.

“Promoting sustainability through robust environmental, social and governance reporting in the capital markets landscape is fundamental to our strategic positioning as we look to attract ESG oriented investment mandates from across the globe. The BSE is pleased to be part of this global network, it is indeed a great learning and networking experience for us,” Mr. Tsheole added.

“Namibia has long championed the cause of environmental protection as it was the first country in the world to include such wording in its constitution,” says Tiaan Bazuin, CEO of the Namibia Stock Exchange (NSX). “The NSX also elaborated on it the Namibian Corporate Governance Code (NamCode). Accordingly we are very proud to join this initiative and benchmark our policies to international best practices.”

“We are delighted to be a partner in this noble cause as we encourage businesses and investors to be sensitive on matters that are necessary in this era and generations to come, such as sustainability of the current and future societies,’’ said Moremi Marwa, CEO of the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange in Tanzania.

With the addition of these three exchanges, there are now 14 stock exchanges in Africa who are members of the SSE. For more information on the event in Nairobi, or to download the policy briefing document for this event, please click here.