Shareholders of Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) Plc, have endorsed the payment of a total dividend of N3.10k per share, amounting to N91.236 billion, for the financial year ended December 31, 2022.
This endorsement was made at the holding company’s second annual general meeting (AGM) which held via Zoom. The Group had proposed a final dividend of N2.80 per unit of ordinary shares held by shareholders in addition to the interim dividend of 30 kobo interim dividend paid in June, bringing the total dividend for the 2022 financial year to N3.10 per share.
Commending the group’s financial performance achieved during the period under review amid the operating environment, the immediate past President of Nigeria Shareholders Solidarity Association, Chief Timothy Adesiyan, noted that the Group has contributed to the growth of the economy in its lending to agriculture, SMEs, real sector, among others as seen in the award received by the Group in the year.
Speaking to shareholders, the Chairman of GTCO, Mr Hezekiah Oyinlola, said “as I reflect on 2022, I recall the challenges we faced at every turn and the prospects that became significant milestones in our journey towards creating a robust yet agile institution.
As we look across our burgeoning GTCO Universe, we take pride in the concrete outcomes of our diligent efforts and unyielding dedication towards expanding our influence and strengthening our position as a leading provider of financial services in Africa.”
He said that the group’s ambition was crystal clear, and it set out to achieve it with unwavering focus adding that the group have completed the setup of its holding company and acquired full ownership of Investment One Pension Managers and Investment One Fund Managers, now named Guaranty Trust Pension Managers and Guaranty Trust Fund Managers, respectively.
Oyinlola said, “Our payment subsidiary, HabariPay Limited, also launched in 2022 and almost immediately introduced its flagship product Squad to the market with outstanding reviews. The highlight for me is that these newly created businesses – in payments, fund managers, and pensions ran successfully and were profit before tax positive by the end of the year.”
On the economy’s outlook, the Chairman stated that the momentum has been built-up in recent years and added that the group is now in a position to leverage every opportunity to grow and sustain its superior financial performance.
He said, “Our diversified business model and agile systems will enable us to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and turn economic tides in our favour. Our customer, centricity and focus on innovation and long-term value-creation, and will continue to be key drivers of our success in the years ahead.”
Also speaking at the meeting, the Group Chief Executive Officer, GTCO, Segun Agbaje, said in spite of the varying challenges and headwinds that weighed on growth in 2022, the Group delivered a decent performance posting a pre-tax profit of N214.2 billion representing a dip of 3.0 per cent from N221.5 billion posted in full year, 2022.
PBT contribution from West Africa decreased from 21.0 per cent in December 2021 to 12.3 per cent in December 2022 due to the significant impairment sum of N35.6 billion recognised on the Ghanaian sovereign securities.
He also noted that during the same period, the size of the Nigerian Banking Subsidiary increased to 84.3 per cent from 79.5 per cent, while East Africa’s contribution to the Group grew marginally to 3.4 per cent from 3.0 per cent.
Agbaje said, “I strongly believe that the new holding structure of our organisation will prove to be a propeller in our journey towards sustained growth and success. What we have as Guaranty Trust Holding Company is not a conglomerate but a structure of complementary businesses which helps us remain agile, innovative, and adaptable to changing market dynamics, whilst ensuring that we continue to deliver superior returns to our shareholders”.