Pierre Célestin Rwabukumba, CEO of Rwanda Stock Exchange interview with David Nelson at Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative (NYSE)
HIGHLIGHTS
- After the millennium development goals, Rwanda is looking to sustainability
- Rwanda Stock Exchange is only 5 years old
- Companies part of the Rwanda Stock Exchange are already complying with government structure & governance issues
FULL COVERAGE
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS: Pierre Célestin Rwabukumba, CEO of Rwanda Stock Exchange and David Nelson
David Nelson – Show Host, Traders Network Show: 00:00
Welcome back. I’m David Nelson for the Traders Network Show broadcasting worldwide from the New York Stock Exchange for iHeartRadio and Equities.com. We’re here for an event being hosted by the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative. And my next guest is here with us. It is a Mr. Pierre Célestin. I hope I said that right. He’s the CEO of the Rwanda Stock Exchange. Welcome. Thank you for being with us. You are at the luncheon today. It was a pretty interesting lunch and I was going through my notes before we came down here. Correct me if I’m wrong, but your country, it has enormous growth when compared to some of the more mature markets around the world, how are you going to channel that growth over the next couple of years?
Pierre Célestin Rwabukumba – CEO, Rwanda Stock Exchange: 00:44
Well we’ve continued to grow for the first year, but future and that just took the market is learning to be part of that big growth and we continue to do our job to make sure that we contribute as much as possible to the raising of the capital for that economy of Rwanda.
David Nelson – Show Host, Traders Network Show: 01:04
You know, I think our viewers would like to know a little bit more about you. You know, I was looking at my notes from last night and apparently you started your career here in New York.
Pierre Célestin Rwabukumba – CEO, Rwanda Stock Exchange: 01:14
Yeah, that was September. Even I think I was a stockbroker here. That’s how I started my business in this industry. And I had gone to school law school in, in Buffalo, New York. I went to UBI and then I I came to New York to learn the trade and I took it back home to make sure that, that we also the same do the symmetry because it’s very important.
David Nelson – Show Host, Traders Network Show: 01:36
What prompted that move to leave the United States and go back to your home country and take on this enormous undertaking?
Pierre Célestin Rwabukumba – CEO, Rwanda Stock Exchange: 01:44
Well, it’s very simple. My schooling was here, but my heart was in Rwanda. That’s where I grew up and I was traded to be there and to take back home what I learned in the, in the West. And it has worked so far. So I believe being part of something new and being one of the pioneers is very rewarding. And I continue to do so.
David Nelson – Show Host, Traders Network Show: 02:10
I wanted to bring it back to the event. And I’ve been asking this question really evolve, I guess, you know, how does the sustainable stock exchanges initiative and the activities they’re likely to have over the next couple of years, how will you be able to integrate that with what you’re doing in your home country, in your exchange?
Pierre Célestin Rwabukumba – CEO, Rwanda Stock Exchange: 02:25
Well, you know, we are coming from an era of a millennium development goals, which have ended in 2015. And Rwanda was one of the, apparently has actually one of them, the biggest and the bit the examples on our continent having fulfilled the most of their millennium goals. And a different next step is to go into the Sustainable Development Goals where you have different goals to achieve. Many of them have to do with the private sector and partnerships with the governments, what we call a PPP public private partnerships. And those sustainable goals we have to do. We all depend on them. So being a small landlocked country, which is still trying to attract a lot of capital from everywhere in the world, basically we must comply with what the world is looking for. So people are looking for sustainability for this planet. So we want to be part of that.
David Nelson – Show Host, Traders Network Show: 03:18
The companies on your exchange, are they endorsing these, these new goals that you’re putting forth right now?
Pierre Célestin Rwabukumba – CEO, Rwanda Stock Exchange: 03:23
Well, like I said, it’s a new market. You know, we’re only five years old, barely. But the company’s already complying with governance structures, governance issues, you know, and the country at large, you know, we tried to follow as much as possible international best practice and our companies are not going to be left behind. So us being part of this initiative, we will be making sure that the companies also compliant and in Rwanda, people try to abide and comply with the law and the best practice all over the world.
David Nelson – Show Host, Traders Network Show: 03:53
Right. Anything you’d like to say to the UN and SSC, they’re launching their sustainable development goals before you leave today?
Pierre Célestin Rwabukumba – CEO, Rwanda Stock Exchange: 03:59
Just don’t let leave us behind.
David Nelson – Show Host, Traders Network Show: 04:02
That is well said Sir. Thank you so much for being with us. That was Pierre Célestin, CEO of Rwanda Stock Exchange. By the way. A quick thank you goes out to 1-800-Publicrelations for all the PR media support. Thanks for joining. I’m David Nelson. Thank you.