The Capital Market University Challenge 2017 kicks off tomorrow, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) has said. The challenge that is in its third edition will be conducted from May 17 to June 9 and is open to students in universities and other higher learning institutions in the country, Robert Mathu (pictured above), the CMA executive director, said.

"The challenge will be conducted as part of public education and awareness aimed at inculcating the culture of saving and investment particularly through capital market among students,” he added. The competition started in 2012 targeting undergraduate students in all universities and other higher learning institutions.

This year’s competition will include two categories; a quiz to test students’ knowledge of the capital market industry, and essay writing on the theme, "Growing the youth through capital market”. The Capital Market Authority will launch this year’s edition of the contest at Adventist University of Central Africa, Mathu said yesterday in a statement.

The competition will be carried out by CMA in collaboration with the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE), Economic Policy Research Network) and the International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Science (AISSEC).

He said: "The Capital Market University Challenge aims at introducing the youth to the capital market and the culture of saving while they are still in universities. We also aim to interest them to the industry as future professionals.”

He added that the event will be an occasion for students to showcase their knowledge on the capital market industry through the interactive competition.

Moses Asiimwe, a winner of the previous challenge, encouraged students in colleges across the country to participate in the contest, and also start saving and investing through the capital market.

Preliminary stage

The challenge’s preliminaries will take place in provinces. The University of Rwanda’s College of Agriculture, Animal sciences and Veterinary Medicine will host the Northern Province preliminary contest on May 20, while the College of Arts and Social Sciences will host contestants from the Southern Province on the same day. Students from Eastern Province will tussle it out at University of Rwanda’s Nyagatare campus on May 24 and those in the Western Province will be hosted at ULK Gisenyi Campus on the same day. The preliminary for the City of Kigali is scheduled for May 26 at the Adventist University of Central Africa, Masoro Campus.

The finals will take place at Kigali Serena Hotel on June 9 and the quiz winner will get 10,000 shares of a company listed on the bourse, while the essay category’s top prize is 5,000 shares of a listed company.