The African Securities Exchanges Association has launched an initiative to connect seven of Africa's largest and most liquid securities exchanges by the first quarter of 2021, Bloomberg News reported.

In a bid to boost trading in securities, the Bourse de Casablanca SA; JSE Ltd., the Johannesburg Stock Exchange; the Nigerian Stock Exchange; the Stock Exchange of Mauritius Ltd.; the Nairobi Securities Exchange PLC; the Egyptian Exchange; and Côte d'Ivoire-based West African regional stock exchange Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières will be linked.

ASEA President Karim Hajji, who is also the CEO of the Casablanca bourse, said the African Development Bank contributed funding of up to $1 million for the project.