By Kayode Tokede
The Deputy British High Commissioner, Lagos, Mr Ben Llewellyn-Jones OBE, leveraged the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited’s virtual Closing Gong Ceremony to engage capital market stakeholders.
Llewellyn-Jones was given the privilege to sound the virtual gong to bring the day’s trading activities to a close.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer, NGX Limited, Mr. Temi Popoola, CFA stated, “I am particularly pleased to be hosting the British Deputy High Commissioner, as my first Closing Gong Ceremony in this NGX era. Since the birth of the Lagos Stock Exchange, The British High Commission has remained a partner and supporting institution throughout our journey.
“One of the recent shows of support was in our 2020 International Women’s Day celebration which was graced by Harriet Thompson, British Deputy High Commissioner as the special guest of honour. In the spirit of continued partnership, I welcome Mr. Llewellyn-Jones to the NGX as I look forward to deepening the partnerships between both organisations to further drive sustainable economic development for Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”
On his part, Mr. Llewellyn-Jones stated “It gives me great pleasure to be here today especially given the shared history between the United Kingdom (UK) and the Exchange. History is always with us in the sense that the UK is still very active in the Nigerian market, with Nigeria being the second largest destination for investments and UK business in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“My role is to not only celebrate that but to grow, encourage and sustain this level participation. Although it has been a difficult year economically and financially, I am encouraged by the resilience, creativity and positive performance of British businesses and investments here in Nigeria and I am grateful for this opportunity to talk about how much the UK will continue to do to support Nigeria and British businesses in Nigeria.”
NGX Limited has expressed that partnerships are a critical element of our strategy at the Exchange and it would continue to engage stakeholders whose support is essential to the achievement of its aspirations in the recently announced NGX era.