Youth from universities across the country gathered in Kigali on June 20 for the inauguration of the Capital Market Youth Forum 2025, aiming to engage and educate young people on the importance of saving and investing through Rwanda’s capital market, promoting a culture of financial literacy and economic empowerment.

Held at Kigali Convention Centre, the event was organised by the Capital Market Authority(CMA) in collaboration with Rwanda Stock Exchange(RSE), and Rwanda National Investment Trust, and convened students, young professionals, policymakers, CEOs, industry experts and investors, government officials, and university representatives.

Before the forum in May, universities went through rounds of quizzes and competition on capital market opportunities through the Capital Market University challenge. From there, 25 finalists were selected; however, only the top seven could pitch at the forum.

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According to CMA, every province was represented, except that two had a tie, leading to sending two contestants each. Hence, seven contestants. Among them, five were rewarded with shares in some companies listed on the Rwanda Stock Exchange.

Didier Abimana Rutazuyaza emerged as the winner, getting Rwf600,000 worth of shares, while the runner-ups got Rwf550,000, Rwf500, 000, Rwf450, 000, Rwf400, 000 worth of shares for the second, third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

Speaking at the event, Thapelo Tsheole, the CEO of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), described the inauguration of the Capital Market Youth Forum 2025 as a "significant milestone” in a collective journey to nurture the next generation of investors in Rwanda’s capital market.

He outlined three pillars of the programme: first, comprehensive outreach and engagement through nationwide roadshows and community sensitization; second, a pitch competition that lets participants showcase their capital‑market knowledge while earning real investments, shares, units, and bonds; and third, hands‑on experience via internship placements, facilitated by the Rwanda Stock Exchange.

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He added that RSE has committed to hosting 25 top contestants who emerged from the Capital Market University Challenge as interns, allowing them to deepen their knowledge and gain valuable professional experience within the capital market industry.

"This opportunity will undoubtedly enrich their understanding of capital markets and serve as a bridge into future careers in the financial sector.”

Tsheole expressed his gratitude to partners, noting that their support helped them to conduct extensive outreach activities, engaging over 2,700 students from universities and higher learning institutions nationally.

"Over the past decade, more than 10,000 students have participated in the Capital Market University Challenge, a clear testament to the growing appetite and readiness among Rwanda’s young people to engage meaningfully in the capital market,” he said, highlighting that this year, the challenge registered 571 contestants.

Speaking at the event, Mutesi Rusagara, Minister of State for Public Investment and Resource Mobilization, reminded the youth of the many opportunities the government is creating to support their growth. She emphasized that the capital market plays a key role in helping young people access finance, through equity and debt, bringing their ideas to life.

"These opportunities are available to all of us. As we move forward, we must think about development not just as national wealth, but as individual prosperity too.”

Rusagara commended the Capital Market Authority for organizing the forum, noting that such events promise long-term effort to build the country, equipping the youth with knowledge, tools, and confidence to start playing a role in building the country’s financial future.

"When we talk about capital markets and business, the strength of any market is built on trust and accountability,” she added, urging the youth to aspire to be transparent investors.

"Whether you want to be in capital markets, whether you want to be business leaders, whether you want to be accountants, a foundational value that we all have to maintain for us to be successful will continue to be trust."

Pierre Celestin Rwabukumba, the CEO of RSE, encouraged the youth to embrace the culture of saving and have long-term goals, avoiding unnecessary expenses.

He emphasized that investing in the stock market does not only mean buying shares or bonds, but it is an act of active participation in the economy of the country.

"When you invest, you are creating wealth. You can start small by buying shares in different companies, like banks. In that way, you are not only a consumer of their services, you are also an owner. As the economy grows, you also grow,” he added.

Olivier Brave Ngabo, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Youth and Arts encouraged to dream big, noting that "We are in the country where everything is possible. Everything single day, things change and grow faster than ever in this country, where we have opportunities as young people.”

Ngabo underscored that the culture of saving helps in investment, emergency handling, and reduces dependence on others, calling the youth to start saving at an early age, individually or collaboratively with their fellows. He also noted that the power of investment helps in boosting confidence as well as actively contributing to economic development.

The event concluded with the performance of the renowned Rwanda musician, Platin P, with his dance crew.