Africa’s largest cement producer, Dangote Cement has been named the Dividend Paying Company of the Year at the inaugural Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards, held weekend, in Lagos.
According to the organisers, the awards’ ceremony, themed “Capital Market as a Catalyst for Nigerian Economic Transformation,” celebrated companies making significant contributions to the country’s economic progress.
Dangote Cement was awarded the Dividend Paying Company of the Year, ahead of other nominees including Nigerian Aviation Company and Airtel Africa—recognizing its record of solid shareholder returns.
The company has established a strong reputation for rewarding its shareholders with consistent and robust dividends.
Speaking on the award, Group Head, Investor Relations, Dangote Group, Temilade Aduroja, said “Our commitment to paying strong dividends reflects our robust financial performance, commitment to value creation, and dedication to delivering sustainable value to our shareholders. It reinforces trust, rewards long-term investment, and signals discipline in capital allocation.”
A review of Dangote Cement’s annual reports and accounts indicated that since 2018, the company has paid above N10 per share as dividend, increasing the payout to N16 per share and sustaining it through 2022.
In 2023, the dividend rose to N20 and was later raised to N30 for the 2023 financial year.
The board for the financial year ended December 31,2024 proposed a dividend of N30 per share subject to the approval of Shareholders.
It should be noted that Dangote Cement recently emerged as the Platinum Award Winner of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and NGX Regulation Limited (NGX REGCO) Corporate Reporting Award.
Organised by ICAN-NGX REGCO, the event celebrated excellence in corporate transparency and governance, with other notable winners including MTN Nigeria, Seplat Energy, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, GTCO, Zenith Bank, United Bank for Africa, and International Breweries.
According to the Corporate Reporting Award guidelines issued by ICAN-NGX REGCO, thirty listed companies were evaluated across three key categories with marks allotted for compliance.
The categories and allotted marks are financial reporting with 35 percent, corporate governance allotted 30 percent and sustainability reporting allotted 35 percent.
The awards were ranked in Platinum, Gold and Silver categories.
Dangote Cement is Africa’s leading cement producer with 52.0Mta capacity across Africa. A fully integrated quarry-to-customer producer, with a production capacity of 35.25Mta in its home market, Nigeria.
Obajana plant in Kogi state, Nigeria, is the largest in Africa with 16.25Mta of capacity across five lines; Ibese plant in Ogun State has four cement lines with a combined installed capacity of 12Mta; Gboko plant in Benue state has 4Mta; and Okpella plant in Edo state has 3Mta.
The company is building a new six million tons per annum cement plant in Itori, Ogun State.
Through recent investments, Dangote Cement has eliminated Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement and has transformed the nation into an exporter of cement and clinker, serving neighbouring countries.