Overview:
The index was unveiled at the East Africa Capital Markets Conference 2025 in Kampala on Thursday, October 16, 2025, positioning itself as a key tool to boost visibility, transparency, and investor confidence in the region’s equity markets.
The East African capital markets have taken a major leap toward regional integration with the official launch of the East African Exchanges 20 Share Index (EAE 20) — a new regional benchmark that will track the performance of the top 20 listed companies across East Africa.
The index was unveiled at the East Africa Capital Markets Conference 2025 in Kampala on Thursday, October 16, 2025, positioning itself as a key tool to boost visibility, transparency, and investor confidence in the region’s equity markets.
Representing Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, Moses Ogwapus, Commissioner at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, said the launch marks a significant step in strengthening East Africa’s financial integration and long-term capital mobilization.
“Uganda’s capital markets offer immense investment opportunities as we structurally transform our economy from a GDP of USD 53.9 billion to USD 500 billion by 2040,” he said. “Achieving this requires mobilizing domestic capital, shifting from consumption to long-term productive investment, and leveraging our financial sector as a driver of sustainable growth.”
The EAE 20 Share Index aims to harmonize market performance indicators across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and other East African economies — promoting cross-border listings, attracting institutional investors, and increasing liquidity.
Capital Markets Authority (CMA) Uganda Board Chairperson Saul Sseremba emphasized that regional integration and innovation will be the foundation of future growth. “Our goal is to make Uganda’s capital markets the engine room of long-term, inclusive economic growth,” he said. “We must leverage instruments such as green bonds, shariah-compliant finance, and securitization to unlock trillions needed for transformation. Integration is no longer optional — it is imperative.”
CMA Chief Executive Officer Josephine Okui Ossiya said the authority is championing a shift from conversation to collaboration. “Technology must make investing as simple as sending a mobile money text,” she said. “Through our Regulatory Sandbox, we’re testing innovative products and smarter investor–capital linkages under adaptive regulation. The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) Board Director Samuel Mwogeza highlighted technology as a catalyst for inclusion and access. “The USE Easy Portal connects investors to opportunities and issuers to capital. Through our partnerships with MTN and Airtel, digital account opening and e-trading have simplified market entry, especially for first-time investors,” he said.
USE CEO Paul Bwiso noted that across East Africa, technology is transforming trading and market participation. “From Kenya’s NSE mobile app to Tanzania’s Hisa Kiganjani and Rwanda’s Market Live app, investors can trade and track performance in real time,” he said. “In Uganda, the USE Easy Portal is putting the market in the palm of every citizen’s hand.”
National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Managing Director Patrick Ayota called for a mindset shift to include citizens as active participants in capital markets. “We must demystify investment and make it relevant,” he said. “Our market is big, but much potential remains untapped. What people need is safety, convenience, and empowerment.”
Ayota urged policymakers to rethink incentives for savings and investment. “In the U.S., tax incentives encouraged savings — yet here, income is taxed before saving. We should customize global innovations to our realities, such as tokenizing infrastructure projects like the Kampala–Jinja Expressway to open new investment channels.”
Drawing inspiration from the origins of the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Ayota reminded participants that great markets grow from persistence and innovation. “Like the Buttonwood Agreement or London’s coffeehouse traders, we must start small but stay consistent. The key lesson is resilience — to keep building until the market works.”
With the EAE 20 Index now operational, regional capital markets are poised to move from fragmented growth to coordinated expansion — signaling a new era of integration, technology, and investor empowerment across East Africa.