In Johannesburg:
Daniel Musiitwa
Phone: +27 11 731 3175
E-mail: dmusiitwa@ifc.org

In Kigali:
Rogers Kayihura
Phone: +250 591 303
E-mail: rkayihura@worldbank.org


Kigali, Rwanda, August 6, 2008—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has signed a cooperation agreement with the government of Rwanda to help strengthen the country’s capital markets.

Under the agreement, IFC will support Rwanda’s Capital Markets Advisory Council in strengthening the country’s recently launched securities exchange. IFC will help the council develop an appropriate legal and regulatory environment for issuing and trading bonds, implement a training and certification program for securities market participants, and establish a framework for integrating Rwanda’s capital markets with other markets in East Africa.

Henry Gaperi, Chairman of the Capital Markets Advisory Council, said, “Partnering with IFC will enable us to tap into the World Bank Group’s institutional expertise. It will also help expand our investment opportunities in the Rwandan market, particularly in nongovernment bonds.”

Jean Philippe Prosper, IFC Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said, “IFC, the World Bank, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency have pledged $5.5 million to help establish a program for developing  securities markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through this initiative, we are working with governments to enhance institutional capacity in the region and to facilitate market transactions.”

The new program, called Efficient Securities Markets Institutional Development Africa, helps securities market regulators improve their regulatory expertise and design effective environments for mobilizing long-term capital. On the supply side, the program supports potential issuers and intermediaries in bringing transactions to the securities markets.

In East Africa, IFC and the program partners are working with central banks, securities’ regulators, stock exchanges, and other stakeholders to simplify regulations and procedures for issuing and trading bonds, establish an appropriate market structure, strengthen secondary markets, build capacity of market participants, and facilitate regionalization of the markets.

About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC's vision is that people should have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through syndications and structured finance for 299 investments in 69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

About the Capital Markets Advisory Council
The Capital Markets Advisory Council of Rwanda is a government agency responsible for promoting and facilitating the development of orderly, fair, and efficient capital markets in Rwanda.