Sterling Financial Holdings Company is the youngest listed company in Nigeria, at just 3 years (Oct. 13, 2021)

Key takeaways:

  • Sterling Financial Holdings Company is Nigeria’s youngest listed PLC, at just 3 years (incorporated October 13, 2021).
  • Access Holdings and GT Holding Company are both only 4 years old, showing how recent banking reforms are shaping listing dynamics.
  • Airtel Africa is just 6 years old as a listed entity, highlighting the recent telecoms push into capital markets.
  • BUA Cement, only 11 years old, reflects how strategic industrial players are now aggressively leveraging public listings.
  • Financial services dominate the young PLCs list, from VFD Group (15 years) to First Holdco, Stanbic IBTC, and FCMB Group—all under 15.
  • Real estate and infrastructure players like UPDC REIT (12 years) and AVA Infrastructure Fund (10 years) show that capital-intensive sectors are increasingly tapping the market early.

Nigeria’s capital markets aren’t just anchored by legacy companies—they’re also seeing a steady wave of fresh entrants, many of them less than 15 years old. The youngest listed PLC is Sterling Financial Holdings Company, incorporated just three years ago in 2021. This signals a growing appetite for listings from modern firms, especially in financial services, infrastructure, and energy. It also reflects a broader trend of restructured financial institutions turning into holding companies and accessing public capital more strategically.

This new generation of listed firms is emerging at a time when investors are more data-driven, ESG-conscious, and digitally engaged than ever before. Unlike older legacy firms that built their reputations over decades, these younger PLCs are expected to show results fast, driven by clear business models and transparent governance.

Source:

Nigerian Exchange Group

Period:

2025
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In 2024, Presco Plc's ₦63.46 per share led the sector while Livestock Feeds Plc saw an exceptional 900.0% earnings rebound
  • Livestock Feeds Plc surged from a -₦0.08 loss per share to ₦0.64 EPS, marking a 900.0% improvement—the biggest turnaround in the sector.
  • Presco Plc posted ₦63.46 EPS in 2024, nearly doubling its previous year’s ₦32.41.
  • Okomu Oil Palm rose from ₦21.64 to ₦41.89, showing a 93.6% year-on-year growth.
  • FTN Cocoa Processors reduced its loss marginally, from -₦2.70 to -₦2.44, a 9.6% improvement.
  • The top two companies by EPS (Presco and Okomu) are significantly outperforming their peers.

About 3 out of every 10 (29.25%) listed companies in Nigeria are in the Financial Services sector
  • Financial Services account for 29.93% of all listed companies, far ahead of any other sector.
  • Services and Consumer Goods sectors each have 20 listed companies, showing strong competition for second place.
  • Industrial Goods (13 companies) and Construction/Real Estate (10 companies) round out the mid-tier listings.
  • The ICT sector has only 8 listed companies, despite being central to digital transformation in Nigeria.
  • Oil and Gas (8) and Healthcare (7) reflect moderate participation in the public markets.
  • Agriculture has just 5 listed firms, despite being one of Nigeria’s largest employers—suggesting a capital access gap.
  • The utilities sector is the least represented sector, with only 2 listed companies.

At 104 years old, Royal Exchange stands as the oldest PLC listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group
  • Royal Exchange is Nigeria’s oldest listed PLC at 104 years, incorporated on February 28, 1921.
  • Unilever (101 years) and UAC Nigeria (94 years) follow closely behind, cementing their status as legacy multinationals.
  • Greif Nigeria (85 years) and May & Baker Nigeria (81 years) show enduring pharmaceutical and industrial presence.
  • Wema Bank is the oldest bank on the list at 80 years, showcasing longevity in financial services.
  • Consumer goods dominate the list, with companies like PZ Cussons, Nigerian Breweries, and Guinness all exceeding 75 years.
  • Four companies (Chellarams, PZ Cussons, Thomas Wyatt, and Nigerian Breweries) were all incorporated 77-78 years ago, pointing to a cluster of post-WWII business growth.
  • The youngest on the list—RT Briscoe—is still 68 years old, proving that listing longevity is no accident but a product of strategic resilience.

Baillie Gifford, Jumia’s largest institutional investor, holds stakes in some of the world’s major tech giants
  • Mercado Libre leads with $8.5B, making it Baillie Gifford’s most valuable tech holding after its Jumia exit.
  • Amazon ($6.2B) and NVIDIA ($6.8B) remain major anchors in the portfolio, highlighting confidence in cloud, AI, and e-commerce.
  • The "Others" category holds the largest share ($75B), showing how Baillie Gifford’s exposure is spread widely beyond the major names.
  • Even post-Jumia, the portfolio is deeply rooted in innovation, with stakes in Spotify, Cloudflare, Moderna, and Shopify; covering audio streaming, cybersecurity, biotech, and e-commerce platforms.

Over the past 30 years, Kenya has topped global elephant ivory seizures. Nigeria ranks 7th with 23,031 kg confiscated
  • Kenya recorded the highest ivory seizure among the top 10 countries, with 130,432 kg confiscated over the 34-year period.
  • China and Hong Kong follow closely, with 106,069 kg and 75,707 kg seized, respectively, showing their long standing roles as critical players in the global ivory network.
  • Vietnam and Singapore, both located in Southeast Asia, had substantial seizure records; 71,256 kg and 29,882 kg, indicating persistent trafficking through the region.
  • Nigeria leads West Africa in ivory confiscations within the top 10, with 23,031 kg, signalling its importance as a key node in the transit chain.
  • All countries listed in the top 10 are either source, transit, or destination points in the global ivory supply chain, reflecting how widespread and interconnected the illegal trade remains.

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  • East and Southeast Asia recorded a modest net gain of 0.2 migrants per 1,000 population.
  • South America and Central America & the Caribbean saw slight net migration gains of 0.2 and 0.1, respectively.
  • Africa had a net migration rate of -0.4, showing more people are leaving the continent than coming in.
  • North America, despite being a key destination historically, recorded a net loss of -0.5 migrants per 1,000 people.
  • Australia and Oceania experienced the steepest net loss at -6.9 per 1,000 population.

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