KEY POINTS
- Access Holdings vested shares to 689 employees.
- The move reinforces its long-term incentive strategy.
- The plan aligns staff performance with shareholder value.
Access Holdings Plc has vested shares to 689 employees under its Restricted Share Performance Plan, reinforcing its long-term strategy to retain and reward key talent.
The move, disclosed in a filing with the Nigerian Exchange on Monday, reflects the group’s effort to deepen employee ownership and align performance with shareholder value.
Focus on performance and pay structure
The vested shares, which took effect on July 1, 2025, are part of Access Holdings’ push to link compensation directly to performance outcomes.
Among the beneficiaries are former acting CEO Bolaji Agbede, who received 2.18 million shares; Company Secretary Sunday Ekwochi, 655,022 shares; and Access Bank Deputy Managing Director Chizoma Okoli, with 5.5 million shares.
Others include Group CFO Hadiza Ambursa and Executive Director Seyi Kumapayi, both receiving 3.93 million shares each.
Access Holdings’ performance and growth around the world
The Lagos-based firm, which is run by Chairman Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, has more than 60 million subscribers in 20 countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Since Aig-Imoukhuede came back in 2024, the company has focused on digital growth and making the most of its cash while making its staff compensation systems stricter.
In the first half of 2025, gross earnings went up 13.8 percent to N2.49 trillion. However, profit after tax went down 23.3 percent to N215.9 billion because of inflation and reduced foreign exchange gains.
Access Holdings said most employees fall within the N17.95 million to N21.94 million annual income bracket, while only a handful earn below N2 million.
According to Billionaires Africa, in September, the group secured a $10 million IFC facility to expand SME lending in Sierra Leone, with a focus on women-led businesses.
It also completed its acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank Gambia, finalizing the British bank’s exit after more than a century in the market.
