ASEA, CFA partnership ‘ill enhance investment management

President of the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA), Mr. Oscar Onyema, has said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed with the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Institute, will provide capital market stakeholders, skills for sound investment management.

The CFA (Chartered Financial analysts), is a global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for excellence in the industry.

Onyema, in his welcome remark to Paul Smith, CFA, President and CEO of CFA Institute, Nigeria, said the new partnership with Institute complements “our strategic objectives; and we are delighted to be working together for the mutual benefit of our organizations, by providing capital markets stakeholders on our continent with the skills and tools they need for sound investment management and ethical practices.”

Onyema said, “The more we promote proficiency and ethics in our markets, the more African markets will be attractive to investors.”

ASEA and CFA Institute signed a two-year MoU to raise standards of education and professionalism in the investment management industry; and to increase access to the professional education programs and standards of professionalism within the ASEA community’s jurisdictions.

The MOU will grant ASEA member exchanges, regulators, brokerage firms and any other capital market stakeholder within the ASEA member exchanges’ jurisdictions, access to CFA Institute’s suite of educational offerings, at discounted rates effective 20 June 2017

The programs include: CFA Institute Investment Foundations’ certificate, which covers the essentials of finance, ethics, and investment roles, providing a clear understanding of the global investment industry at USD 200 per examination.

For The CFA Program Scholarship, eligible candidates can enroll in the CFA programme to begin earning the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) credential, the most respected and recognized investment management designation in the world at USD 350 per examination.

The institute also offers Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement Program (CIPM): for advanced, globally relevant, and practice-based investment performance and risk evaluation skills, which enable professionals to put clients’ interests first at USD 350 per examination and an Ethical Decision-Making webinar with free access to an ethical decision-making framework for the highest standards of ethics in the investment profession examination.

Commenting on the partnership, Paul Smith, CFA, President and CEO of CFA Institute, said the MoU is the institute’s first significant step towards beginning to invest more meaningfully in Africa.

He said,“By bringing our programs to the ASEA community, we hope to enable employees to train and capacity-build for Africa and contribute to the development of its financial markets.”