By Peter OBIORA InvestAdvocate

Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-The Capital Market Academy (CMA) London and Proshare Nigeria Limited  forthcoming interactive workshop on “Building Foundations for Growth” Thursday promised to help develop opportunities in the Nigerian Capital Market (NCM).

Delme Thompson, Managing Director (MD), The Capital Markets Academy London at a “Meet the Media” parley made this disclosure in Lagos Nigeria.

“We set the Capital Market Academy up as an instrument or vehicle to come alongside people in Emerging Markets, to help them help themselves to develop their business expertise, structures and the opportunities that they want in the Local Market Place” he said.

According to Thompson, the CMA is not just another training Company from London, but said their vision was to come alongside Emerging Markets, engage the Local Communities, find out their needs and work with them to be able to have access to global standard learning that will help them maximize their potentials in their field of expertise.

“This is not just going to be another training company from London, the programme that we run is developed and designed with and for the Local Market Place. Our vision is to come alongside Emerging Markets, engage the Local Communities, find out their needs and work alongside them to be able to have access to global standard learning so as to help them develop their potentials in their respective business areas” he affirmed.

Thompson said that the Academy has thought for a longtime holding this training in Nigeria; until now the opportunity presented itself.

“We had a long thought of holding this training in Nigeria with the vision, ethos and values that we see in the Nigerian Capital Market. Within a month of setting CMA, experienced Businessmen and Nigerians in the UK said we have to look at Nigeria” he said.

The MD of The Capital Market Academy London said they desire to see progress and change in the Nigerian Capital Market. “We see Nigeria as the right place to start, its being a journey, but the thing that encourages us the most is that if we approach it the right way, humbly and carefully, we will succeed. And based on the responses that we have seen so far, we see there is great potential here and this is an opportunity to really do something special” Thompson affirmed.

Speaking at the occasion, Taba Peterside, General Manager, Listing, Sales & Retention at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) said the NSE has been talking with Thompson for awhile on the workshop.

She affirmed that on the part of the NSE, the workshop is a welcome development and no country can build up its Capital Market without education across the Board of all Market Stakeholders.

“We at the Exchange realised that you can’t build up the Market without education right across the board of the Operators in the Market, Investors, and Regulators” she said.

She said The Exchange has embarked on a transformation agenda to change the Nation’s Stock Exchange and make it world class. I know that Africa is clearly the new Frontier and the story on the growth of the Market in Africa will not be complete without mentioning Nigeria” she said.

Peterside expressed the delight of the Stock Exchange to be part of the event; especially providing the hosting venue and hoped the workshop will be of value to its participants.

On his part, Olufemi Awoyemi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Proshare said the workshop it part of the way to develop the Nigerian Capital Market in terms of resource levels, knowledge gap and Businesses.

“Our work at Proshare, it’s been a very simple one, to provide a window through which stakeholders would be able to interact with the Market proper” he said.

Awoyemi affirmed that the Nigeria’s Exchange that people use to know is no longer the same, “the result indicates positive reinforcement and the fact that Delme and a host of others are expressing interest in our Market should tell us we are luck” he said.

He further affirmed that the knowledge and skills gaps, and change in mindset required is more of a driving force for Proshare as a Capital Market Analyst Firm to see how people can learn with the so much happening in the Capital Market.

The workshop comes up on October 08 to October 10 2012 at the Training Room of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos Nigeria.