Hundreds of students from the University of Kigali were urged to embrace the saving and investment culture through the local capital market; this was revealed on Thursday during an awareness campaign to sensitize youth to exploit and utilize the multi-million opportunities available in the local capital market industry.

In a bid to encourage more participation of the youth in the capital market, Capital Market Authority (CMA), Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE), Rwanda National Investment Trust LTD in close collaboration with Connecting Dots launched a program dubbed “Young Investors”.

This program aims to help students in secondary schools and higher learning institutions across Rwanda to know more about the importance of saving and investing through the capital market at a young age and help the youth to understand the capital market operations in the country.

The Public Relations Officer with the Capital Market Authority (CMA), Magnifique Migisha stressed that “Young people should embrace the culture of saving and investing through the capital market and learn the regulations regarding trading securities so as to embrace easily the habit of investment so that they make right decisions while investing in the capital market and be able to spread easily how the market operates to their friends and relatives.”

All speakers during the panel discussion emphasized the power of compounding, they went on explaining that the key is the power of compounding, the increment effect that happens when your earnings generate even more earnings.

The Operations Manager at RNIT Ltd, Dieudonne Ngirimana addressing students emphasized how they should save and invest through RNIT Iterambere Fund, “you receive interest not only on your original investments in Iterambere Fund, but also on any interest, dividends, and capital gains that accumulate, so your money can grow faster and faster as the years roll on, no matter how small the amount of money is.”

Ivan Muneza, a student at the University of Kigali said that “We are so glad to get the hands-on information on how the capital market operates, we are committed ourselves to start saving and investing in the local capital market for our betterment. We will spread the word to our friends and relatives on the importance of saving through the stocks.”

CMA has committed to carry out a number of public education initiatives meant to bridge the financial literacy gap targeting retail investors in Rwanda to facilitate an interactive and educative forum to enable investors to start saving and investing through the local capital market.