Shareholders Endorse Access Holdings’ Long-Term Growth Strategy, Express Confidence in Future Returns
Investors back value-creation agenda despite dividend pause as group targets sustainable growth
Shareholders of Access Holdings Plc have reaffirmed their confidence in the company’s long-term value creation strategy, expressing optimism about its earnings outlook and future returns despite the non-payment of dividends for the 2025 financial year.
Speaking after the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, shareholders commended the group’s deliberate transition from expansion-driven investments to a strategy focused on sustainable value creation, stronger returns, and long-term shareholder wealth.
With nearly one million shareholders across Africa, Access Holdings remains one of the continent’s most widely held financial institutions. Shareholders noted that the group’s impressive growth trajectory and strong financial fundamentals provide assurance that the ongoing strategic realignment will yield significant benefits in the years ahead.
Founder and Leader of the Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Sir Sunny Nwosu, said investors have no concerns about the future of Access Holdings, citing its remarkable transformation from a mid-tier lender into one of Nigeria’s largest banking groups.
According to him, shareholders’ support for the board’s decision not to declare dividends for 2025 was based on confidence in the company’s proven track record and future growth prospects.
Similarly, President of the Association for the Advancement of Rights of Nigerian Shareholders (AARNS), Dr Faruk Umar, described Access Holdings as a company that has consistently rewarded investors through strong performance.
“We are looking at the bigger picture. The company has demonstrated the capacity to create substantial long-term value, and we believe shareholders will ultimately reap significant rewards,” Umar said.
National Chairman of the New Dimension Shareholders Association, Patrick Ajudua, highlighted the group’s strong 2025 performance, noting that gross earnings rose to N5.53 trillion, while total assets surpassed N51.5 trillion.
He said shareholders understood that the temporary suspension of dividends was necessary to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements set by the Central Bank of Nigeria, while urging management to continue addressing impairment charges and cost efficiency.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Boniface Okezie, described the group’s overall performance as strong and maintained that dividend payments should not be the sole measure of corporate success.
While acknowledging shareholders’ desire for dividends, Okezie urged regulators to consider the broader impact of policy decisions on investors and suggested the company explore the possibility of an interim dividend later in the year.
National Coordinator of ISAN, Moses Igbrude, also expressed confidence in the group’s future earnings potential, saying the company remains well-positioned to generate substantial value for investors.
Access Holdings recorded a 16.2 per cent increase in pre-tax profit to N1.01 trillion in 2025, driven by robust growth in core banking operations. Interest income rose to N1.36 trillion, while net fees and commission income climbed 41 per cent to N585 billion. Operating income increased by 23.9 per cent to N3.17 trillion, while total assets expanded to N51.56 trillion.
The group’s shareholders’ funds also grew to N4.33 trillion, with its cost-to-income ratio improving from 56.7 per cent to 51.7 per cent and Return on Average Equity (ROAE) remaining strong at 18.4 per cent.
The positive momentum continued into 2026, with first-quarter pre-tax profit rising to N272.1 billion, compared with N222.8 billion in the corresponding period of 2025. Total assets increased further to N54.44 trillion, while shareholders’ equity stood at N4.4 trillion as of March 2026.
Addressing shareholders at the AGM, Chairman of Access Holdings, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to sustainable growth, balance-sheet strength and long-term value creation.
“Our strategy, From Scale to Value, reflects the natural evolution of our journey. Scale created opportunity; value creation is how we fully realise it,” he said.
Aig-Imoukhuede emphasized that the company remains focused on converting retained capital into greater future value, ensuring that shareholders benefit from stronger and more sustainable returns over time.
“Our responsibility is to justify the confidence of our shareholders by building an institution that endures—one defined by clarity of purpose, disciplined execution and sustainable value creation,” he stated.