The long wait for mobile telecommunication companies to list at the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) will finally come to an end in six months time after Parliament approved the Finance Bill, 2016 which contains amendments to the Electronic and Postal Communications Act of 2010.
According to the Finance Bill, 2016, the electronic and communication companies registered in the country are required to float their shares to the public and subsequently list its shares on the DSE within six months from July 1.
This is a very welcome move as it will enable Tanzanians to take a stake in and benefit from the lucrative industry that is the fastest expanding sector in East Africa's second biggest economy.
The government enacted the Electronic and Postal Communications Act of 2010 to enforce listing of the telecoms on the bourse to enable broader economic empowerment to local Tanzanians through ownership of shares in one of Africa's fastest growing industries.
The listing is also expected to facilitate growth and deepening of the local capital market, boost the value of the bourse and improve corporate governance and transparency.
The skeptics who doubted the ability of our stock market to accommodate the telecommunication companies have been assured that It is very encouraging to get assurance from the DSE Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Moremi Marwa, that the market has sufficient liquidity to accommodate through listing telecom firms.
The assurance should clear doubts raised by some skeptics on the ability of the market to absorb the companies. He said the idea that the local market does not have the required liquidity was misguided as the 25 per cent of share offering is not as significant relatively to market liquidity.
According to him, DSE market capitalization is 22tri/- and annual market turnover is exceeding 750bn/-.
Treasury Bonds and Bills issued per annum at DSE normally exceeds 2.5tri/- and they are normally oversubscribed, meaning there is more liquidity to investment less risky assets than instruments available.
It is imperative that the objective to enable Tanzanians take a stake in the ownership of these telecom firms is attained, growth and deepening of the local capital market is facilitated and governance and transparency in the operations of the firms are improved.
