LESOTHO-born capital markets guru, Mpho Lechesa, has been appointed the first programme manager of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region Green Bond Programme.
business
March 8, 2022
KABELO MASOABI
2 min read
Mpho Lechesa to drive green bonds market
Founder and Managing Director of Map Capital Partners, Mpho Lechesa
Story highlights
SADC Green Bond Programme aims to accelerate the take-up of green bonds
The project will also support development of listing guidelines and regulations for green bonds
Lechesa from Maseru is the founder and Managing Director of Map Capital Partners, a development finance advisory and investment holdings firm that operates both in Lesotho and South Africa.
The programme which will run for three years is a partnership between Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) and the Committee of SADC Stock Exchanges (CoSSE).
According to the FSD Africa, which is a specialist development agency working to build and strengthen financial markets across sub-Saharan Africa, the competitive job that Lechesa scooped was advertised in June 2021.
Based in Johannesburg South Africa (SA), Lechesa's formative years were spent in Lesotho, followed by completing high school A-levels in Brussels, Belgium and the University of Cape Town and the University of Hartford in the United States.
He also holds a Masters' Degree in Development Finance.
In a statement released by FSD Africa, the SADC Green Bond Programme was first launched in March last year and aims to accelerate the take-up of green bonds as a tool for SADC member countries to tap into domestic and international capital markets to finance green projects and assets.
The project will support the development of listing guidelines and regulations for green bonds, support a pipeline of potential issuers, engage the institutional investment community, undertake training or capacity building of various stakeholders on climate finance.
The statement said the programme manager would be responsible for overall programme coordination, including but not limited to supporting efforts in building strategic partnerships for outcomes targeted under the programme.
"He will also support stakeholders in the review or development of guidelines, policies and regulations in order to enable issuance and listing of green bonds and other related products in the SADC region,” it also said.
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Adding: “His duties will also entail engaging with potential issuers of green bonds to develop a viable pipeline and further engage with institutional investors to build their understanding and investment in green bonds."
The programme, the statement further showed will allow the country to be eligible to apply for bonds that will ultimately contribute to the positive development of the economy.
Among other key aspects, it supports the development of listing guidelines and regulations for green bonds, engages the institutional investment community and provides training and capacity building for various stakeholders on climate finance.
The programme will further be set on building on existing goodwill and momentum that will lead to issuances of green bonds to roll out a large scale regional programme with coverage across the 16 SADC member states, including Lesotho, according to FSD Africa.
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