05 Aug 2019

Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) has announced 2019 BSE Senior Secondary School Finance and Investment Competition scheduled for August 17 at Travel Lodge in Gaborone.

The competing schools are Goodhope, Naledi, Letlhakane, Selibe Phikwe, Maru-a-Pula, Lobatse (current champions), Legae Academy, Crescent School, The Learning Centre School and Francistown Senior Secondary Schools.

Speaking during the August BSE Opening Bell Ceremony in Gaborone, the BSE chief executive officer, Mr Thapelo Tsheole said the BSE Annual Secondary Schools Finance and Investment Competition would see Botswana raising future billionaires through the stock markets.

Mr Tsheole stated that the initiative helped to create capital market awareness among secondary school pupils and expected to increase financial literacy and promote a culture of investment among young people.

He pointed out that financial education and inclusion had become a matter of national importance, adding that it had been proven that investing into various streams of income led to financial freedom and happier lives.

He said when people were financially literate, they relieved government of the burden of social welfare.

Mr Tsheole pointed out that the competition was established in 2013, with the overall aim of sensitising and educating the pupilsabout capital markets.

The strategic aim is to increase financial literacy and promote a culture of investing from a young age.

He said the competition was initially opened to senior secondary schools who were domiciled in Gaborone, but in subsequent years, it was opened to all senior secondary schools across the country.

Mr Tsheole hailed the competition, saying it was rated the best in Africa as it attained the global recognition after it was bestowed the Best Educational Initiative Africa Award at the Structured Retail Products (SRP) Africa Awards in Cape Town, South Africa on March 7, 2019.

He said that was as a result of cooperation, participation of various stakeholders across the country. Furthermore he said BSE would continue to empower pupils in order for them to lead better and successful lives, which could propel them into the innovation ecosystem.

For her part, the BSE head of Marketing Development, Ms Thapelo Moribame encouraged the schools that would participate in the competition to persevere to win the ultimate price, saying being short-listed to participate in a competition of that magnitude was not easy.

Ms Moribane stated that to date, BSE received an average of 30 submissions every year, and that the chosen were selected on merit.

She said the total prize money was P29 000. The best pupil would walk away with a share voucher worth P2 500, second position student would get a share voucher worth P1 500, third place P1 000 voucher while the fourth would get P800 share portfolio voucher per participant. Ends