'Ring the Bell for Financial Literacy'- Speaking points for MD

Introduction

• I am excited to welcome all of you to the Ghana Stock Exchange for this special program.

• I will start by commending the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) and International Organisation of Securities Commission (IOSCO) for partnering with Exchanges and Central Counterparties across the world to celebrate the Sixth World Investor Week dubbed ‘Ring the Bell for Financial Literacy’. The theme for this year is ‘Investor Resilience.’

• World Investor Week(WIW) is a week-long, global campaign to raise awareness about the importance of investor education and protection.

• Ghana Stock Exchange is a full member of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) and is very proud to host and celebrate this ‘Financial Literacy’ week with our regulator, partners, market players, academia, investors, and the general public.

•With the current economic challenges across the globe and in our own environment as well as the uncertainties that investors face, GSE believes that the theme for this year ‘Investor Resilience’ is very relevant. It has become more crucial than ever for investors to equip themselves with the necessary tools to weather the storms in this ever-evolving investment landscape.

• Investor resilience has become a very important topic due to its impact on our emotional well-being. A study published in the Journal of Financial Planning found that individuals who exhibited higher levels of financial resilience reported lower levels of stress and anxiety related to their investments.


• By taking proactive measures to build resilience such as setting realistic investment goals, staying informed about market trends, and seeking professional advice, investors were in a better position to maintain their emotional well-being even during challenging times.

•You will agree with me that one of the means to build investor resilience is through financial literacy. Financial literacy has become even more important than ever, to help investors navigate the uncertainties surrounding investment options.

• Financial literacy and market information dissemination is one of GSE’s 3-year strategic pillars and a lot has been done in the past three years with several initiatives. Last year GSE collaborated with Young Investor Network and Central Securities Depository(CSD) to visit 37 schools and reached over 5000 students with our three youth investment education programs namely, Investment Educational Tours, Capital Market Quiz for Senior High Schools, and Stock Pitch Competition for tertiary institutions.

• We launched the youth investment education campaign this year and have touched 23 schools reaching out to 8615 students so far with more schools to go. In addition,15 educational institutions have embarked on educational tours to the Exchange this year with over 800 people visiting.

• I want to say a big thank you to Sampson and the Ministry of Finance team for giving GSE the opportunity to partner them in the national financial literacy campaign where we reached over 2000 people with our GSE offers.

• GSE continues to leverage on our engagements with AGI, STN, DBG SIGA, MIIF, Commercial wings of various high commissions, media, sponsorships to promote the GSE brand.

•Our digitalization agenda, which is also embedded with financial literacy, is on track with the recent digital educational campaigns on our digital platforms.

• The launch of the GSE Market Watch App which provides 24/7 trading updates has also helped support our financial literacy drive.

•Digital trading tools such as Tradelive from IC Securities, Cedi Manager from Fincap Securities, and SecondSTAX for cross-border trading are the fruits of recent GSE partnerships to accelerate market participation and improve financial inclusion. We will continue to support our partners in launching more digital trading tools to bring convenience and speed to trading for the investing public, especially our youth.


• GSE believes that embedding financial literacy is a call to national duty and we need the support of all stakeholders to make it happen. Financial literacy should be incorporated into our school curriculum to teach our children the basics of savings and investment.

• I want to commend Accra Academy, Presec, St. Mary’s, and Accra Girls Senior High Schools for agreeing to be on the panel today to discuss investor resilience from the perspectives of the youth.

• I want to end by saying that GSE will not stop until every Ghanaian becomes financially literate with the support of various partners to secure a better financial future for our people.

• Thank you for your attention.