NSE To List More Firms, This Year

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) says it expects the listing of many companies on the exchange in 2012 out of some 500 awaiting screening.

Mr Bola Adeeko, NSE Chief of Staff and Head, Corporate Division, said this on Thursday at the Post Investors’ Clinic media briefing in Lagos.

He said that barring unforeseen circumstances, some of the companies would be listed in 2012 after scaling through the exchange listing screening.

Adeeko, who was silent on the names of the companies awaiting listing, said that the exchange would continue in its effort to attract more companies.

He said that the companies cut across agriculture, telecommunications and oil and gas sector.

Adeeko said that the tax incentives introduced by the Federal Government would encourage more companies to seek listing on the exchange.

He said that the exchange would not relent in its advocacy approach to get the attention of the Federal Government to the market.

Adeeko, commenting on the exchange’s maiden investors’ clinic, said that the aim was to reach out to the local retail investors to invest in the market.

The exchange official said that the local investors’ participation in the market was low, adding that they only contributed 11 per cent of the total market capitalisation.

Adeeko said that active participation of local investors would increase the confidence of both the foreign and institutional investors in the market.

He recalled that the previous market crash was due to market infractions, regulatory lapses, global economic crunch and lack of knowledge on the part of investors.

According to him, local investors need to understand the market proper before investing, adding that the diversification of investment would minimise loss.