By Ayomide Otitoju
Transnational Corporation Plc, the Debt Management Office (DMO), CardinalStone, Chapel Hill Denham and MTN Nigeria Communications were among organisations honoured at the 2025 Made of Africa Awards organised by Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group), in recognition of outstanding performance across Nigeria’s capital markets.
According to a statement issued by NGX Group Plc on Thursday, the awards celebrate brokers, issuing houses, trustees, fund managers, listed companies and other market participants for excellence in value delivery, compliance and market impact.
Chairman of NGX Group, Umaru Kwairanga, said the awards highlight the critical role of capital market stakeholders in strengthening investor confidence and raising market standards.
“Their achievements set a benchmark for performance, integrity and innovation across the capital market,” Kwairanga said, adding that sustained discipline and transparency are vital to preserving the confidence of both domestic and international investors.
Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NGX Group, Temi Popoola, underscored the growing importance of collaboration and efficiency across the market ecosystem.
“Operational efficiency and cooperation across the ecosystem are increasingly important as trading activity diversifies and investor expectations continue to rise,” Popoola said.
From a regulatory standpoint, Executive Commissioner, Operations, at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bola Ajomale, said the awards reinforce the importance of compliance and transparency in market development.
“Recognition through the Made of Africa Awards underscores adherence to market rules and standards. Accountability and professionalism strengthen investor confidence, ensure market integrity and support sustainable growth across Nigeria’s financial markets,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Exchange Limited, Jude Chiemeka, noted that recognising strong performance across the ecosystem promotes deeper market participation and supports long-term capital mobilisation.
Among the award recipients, First Trustees Limited emerged as best trustee by deal value, while Legend Internet Plc won the Market Debut Excellence Award. CardinalStone Securities was named Equity Trader of the Year and Broker of the Year, Capital Express Securities won ETPs Trader of the Year, and Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers was recognised as Fixed Income Trader of the Year.
Chapel Hill Denham received awards for Fund Manager with the Largest Listed Fund Size and Market Operator with the Highest Value of Foreign Portfolio Investment Transactions. Mainstreet Capital and APT Securities and Funds jointly won Issuing House with the Highest Number of Primary Market Equity Transactions, while Anchoria Advisory Services led in corporate bond issuances.
Dangote Cement was named Best Issuer by Fixed Income Listings, BUA Cement won Most Compliant Listed Company, and Transnational Corporation Plc was honoured for Capital Market Excellence in Equity. Network Capital emerged as the Most Compliant Trading License Holder, United Capital Securities won Best Sponsoring Trading License Holder, while Banwo and Ighodalo received recognition for Legal Advisory Value in capital market transactions.
Special recognition was awarded to the Debt Management Office for contributions to fixed income market development and to the Capital Markets Correspondence Association of Nigeria for capital market reporting. Lambeth Capital and Bamboo Systems Technology were jointly recognised for onboarding the highest number of new retail investor accounts.
The awards come as NGX Group continues efforts to broaden market participation and deepen liquidity across both equity and fixed income segments of Nigeria’s capital market.
