“We are looking to attract and encourage dual listings,” Ibukun Adebayo, co-head of emerging markets at the LSE Group, tells This Is Africa during an event on west African capital markets.
“Listing with the LSE provides profile and extra liquidity in countries promoting dual listings.”
The LSE already has partnership agreements with a number of African exchanges, reflecting the growing interest of Western investors in the region as topline economic indicators remain strong. The exchange has existing partnerships with exchanges in Morocco, Mozambique and Kenya, as well as dual listing agreements with South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. No dual listing agreement has yet been established between the LSE and the BVRM.
Despite competition from the growing number of capital markets across the continent, BRVM CEO Edoh Kossi Amenounve believes the exchange has unique attributes that make it attractive for investors.
“The BRVM is the only totally integrated bourse in the world, belonging to eight countries. We have a single electronic quotation platform, a common central depository, a common regulatory bank, a common regulator and a single currency – so it really is a perfectly integrated market,” he says.
“It is important for people to know internationally that there is a stock exchange in Africa that has succeeded in integrating, and has potential.”
BVRM indices dropped from a high of 39 percent in 2012 to 20 percent in 2013, and further to 11 percent in 2014. According to Mr Amenounve, the downward trend reflects a spike as Côte d’Ivoire’s economy stabilised from a low base, following a political crisis in 2010-2011. He predicts returns “around 20 percent” from a stable market.
Dual listings between the London and Johannesburg exchange – the region’s largest and most developed stock market – include multinational mining conglomerates BHP Billiton PLC and Anglo American PLC. In April 2014, Nigerian-owned onshore oil producer Seplat became the first to list on both the London and Lagos exchanges.
The number of bourses on the continent has multiplied from five to 25 in the space of 20 years. While the proliferation of capital markets could reflect the maturation of many markets, some have very few listings and could be splintering capital, rather than consolidating available capital – a problem echoed in the region’s banking sector.
BRVM currently ranks sixth in market capitalisation in Africa, taking in 12 percent of the regional total. The exchange hosted 24 IPOs in 2014, up from 20 the year before. As of April 2015, it had 39 listed companies.
However, other exchanges are much smaller. For instance, Mozambique’s exchange currently only has three listed companies, in addition to government and corporate debt – though officials claim new listings are imminent.
Francophone west Africa struggles with highly inefficient bureaucracies and underdeveloped infrastructure, even compared to the deficits in the rest of the region. However, growth averaged 5 percent growth through 2013 across the eight markets covered by the exchange according to the World Bank – led by Côte d’Ivoire, whose 8.7 percent for 2013 is projected to rise to 10 percent through 2014.
This momentum combined with the end of conflicts in leading markets including Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire means greater opportunities for investors are opening up. Both the LSE and the West African exchange appear to be positioning themselves to capitalise on this.
