NGX Group Nets N1.84b as Employees Get Incentives

Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) Plc recorded a net surplus after tax of N1.84 billion in 2020 as shareholders approved incentive and reward plans for employees of the company.

At the 60th annual general meeting (AGM) of the NGX Group yesterday in Abuja, the first AGM after the demutualisation of the defunct Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to NGX Group, shareholders voted in support of major resolutions.

Shareholders approved proposals to introduce equity-based incentives to employees’ remuneration, including an Employee Share Ownership Plan and a Long-Term Incentive Plan, aligning the interests of internal stakeholders with those of shareholders in long term value creation.

The audited report and accounts of NGX Group for the year ended December 31, 2020 showed gross income of N6.02 billion and surplus after tax of N1.84 billion. Net asset grew by 10 per cent to N31.28 billion.

Group Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) Plc, Otunba Abimbola Ogunbanjo said the NGX Group has remained resilient as it continues to demonstrate consistent growth after over six decades.

“Despite the global pandemic and other economic shocks, it is indeed noteworthy that we have already begun to actualise the benefits of demutualisation including the alignment of stakeholders’ interests in the value created by the new group under a revised corporate governance framework,” Ogunbanjo said.

He said the approval of the new equity-based incentive schemes for employees were in line with the authority granted to directors by then members of NSE at an extraordinary general meeting conducted in March 2020 and in line with global best practices allowing the group to attract and retain the best talent.

“Today, I am more confident than ever that the group is well-positioned to deliver value to shareholders as we move into a new growth phase,” Ogunbanjo said.

Group Managing Director, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) Plc, Mr. Oscar Onyema said the 2020 results reflected the challenging macroeconomic and market conditions as well as operational resilience of the group.

According to him, in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the group maintained tight cost controls, which reduced expenses by 13 per cent despite investments in technology that allowed it to operate remotely with zero downtime.

He added that NGX Group and its wholly owned subsidiaries – Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX Regulation, and NGX Real Estate – continue to advance the realisation of its vision to be Africa’s leading integrated capital market infrastructure provider.

“As the group progresses its plans to list on Nigerian Exchange, we look forward to welcoming a broader group of investors to share in our journey,” Onyema said.

In addition to the re-election of the Non-Executive Directors who were retiring by rotation and the election of the members of the Audit Committee, shareholders also approved the proposed remuneration for the Board and non-executive members of the erstwhile National Council of the NSE.