seventy Bralirwa staff totaling 70 last week received sensitization from the Capital Market Advisory Council (CMAC) about the role of the capital markets ahead of the company’s Initial Public Offer (IPO). “It was planned even ahead to help Bralirwa through providing a public awareness education on capital markets,” Olivier Kamanzi, Deputy Executive Director of CMAC said. The move is part of CMAC’s awareness campaign to cover public institutions and the private sector in all districts of Rwanda. It has also come at a time when government is in advanced stages of selling of 25 percent its shareholding in Bralirwa. Government owns 30 percent in Rwanda’s sole beer manufacturer. “It has come at the right time because there is interest in the employees to understand what is going on and what is going to be the impact on Bralirwa, on the staff or people who are affiliated to Bralirwa or Rwandans as whole,” Kamanzi said. With IPO, it means that Rwandans can own shares in Bralirwa although the date for this IPO is still not known. The discussions have been going on and it is expected that shares will be listed at the end of this year or early next year. CMAC is the overseer and regulator of Rwanda’s stock markets and it is also charged with contributing to Rwanda becoming a competitive financial center in the region. Kamanzi told Bralirwa staff to embrace the benefits of investing in the financial markets which include mobilizing savings, generating income, having securities as collateral and capital gain. Ends