By Peter Egwuatu

Shareholders of VFD Group Plc, have unanimously approved the 25 kobo dividend per share declared by its Board of Directors for the financial year ended December 31, 2026.

The shareholders also endorsed other resolutions presented by the Board at the company’s Annual General Meeting AGM held in Lagos under the theme: “Level Up: Positioned for What’s Next.”

Among resolutions approved by shareholders were:Re-election of Ms. Omolola Bolusire as an Independent Non-Executive Director;Re-election of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as External Auditors of the Group; and approval overwhelmingof Statutory Audit Committee appointments and related governance resolutions presented at the AGM.

Speaking after the AGM, Group Managing Director/CEO Nonso Okpala reaffirmed the Group’s commitment to institutional growth, disciplined execution, and long-term shareholder value creation.

“First, we must appreciate our shareholders who made the recently concluded capital raise a success. Without their trust and support, we would not be where we are today, and we remain deeply grateful to them. The capital raised will support the continued execution of our strategy across our five major verticals: market infrastructure, capital market operations, real estate and hospitality, financial services, and retail technology.
Those funds are being deployed into these verticals to deepen our market positions and ensure that our businesses within those sectors become top five players in the economy.

Our expansion strategy is not random or opportunistic. It is a deliberate effort to identify and pursue opportunities across Africa while replicating the successes we have achieved in Nigeria within key African markets,” Okpala said.

Chairman of the Board, Olatunde Busari (SAN), emphasized the importance of governance, resilience, and sustainable corporate leadership as the Group continues to expand its ecosystem across sectors and markets.

“Transparency, accountability, and compliance are extremely important to us. As an investment company, we take governance very seriously because investor confidence is built on trust and discipline. Being a publicly listed company also means we are subject to stronger regulatory oversight than a private company, and we see that as a positive. It reinforces our commitment to doing business responsibly and sustainably. Given the scale of our activities and investments across sectors, risk management is also a critical priority for us. We continue to strengthen our governance and risk frameworks, and that disciplined approach has contributed significantly to the company’s consistent growth year after year,” Busari said.

Executive Director, Finance & Investor Relations, Folajimi Adeleye, also provided shareholders with updates on the Group’s financial position, capital structure, and strategic priorities following the recently concluded Rights Issue exercise.
“Our strategy around expansion is not based on growth simply for expansion’s sake. It begins with understanding the markets we operate in and identifying the opportunities that exist within those markets”Adeleye said.

At the same time, we approach every decision with a strong sense of
responsibility to our shareholders. We would not enter any market or pursue any opportunity without carefully evaluating the business potential, the associated risks, and ensuring that strong governance structures are in place. One of the major advantages we have at VFD Group is the strength of our diversified portfolio. That diversity allows us to benefit from different business and earnings cycles across sectors,” he added.