Shareholders Approve Transcorp Hotels N10bn Rights Issue

By Adedapo Adesanya

Shareholders of Transcorp Hotels Plc, owners of the iconic Transcorp Hilton Abuja and Transcorp Hotels Calabar, have unanimously authorised the board of directors to raise N10 billion through a rights issue for a fortified balance sheet.

The company announced that the approval was given at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the company, which took place on Monday, June 29 in Lagos.

This means the hospitality coy will issue 2,659,574,468 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each by way of a rights issue to the shareholders based on 7 new ordinary shares for every 20 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each held at a price of N3.76 per share.

The shares will be issued from the authorised share capital of the company, which is currently at N7.5 billion comprising 15.0 billion ordinary shares of N0.50 each, and the resultant issued and fully paid-up share capital will be N5,129.989.184 consisting of 10,259,978,368 ordinary shares of N0.50 each.

According to the Chairman of Transcorp Hotels Plc, Mr Emmanuel Nnorom, “This approval and endorsement of shareholders empower the board and management to look to the future with confidence despite the current harsh operating environment.”

Also speaking at the meeting, Mrs Dupe Olusola, Managing Director/CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc, welcomed this approval, saying “Our track record of excellent service delivery has positioned us as the first choice for international and local guests alike noting, we are not resting on our oars but working round the clock to innovate new products and services to further delight our guests, notable of such is the launch of asset-light strategies to deepen our hospitality footprints across Africa.”

She further added that, “The world has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the hospitality industry being one of the hardest hit.

“However, we are optimistic about a great recovery for the sector and your approval today shows that you also share in this mindset. We will continue to play our part in ensuring a significant recovery to the Nigerian hospitality industry.“

A non-executive director of the company, who also represents the Ministry of Finance Incorporated on the board, Mr Alexander Adeyemi, said: “Given the challenging times the hospitality industry faces, it has become critical to inject funding into the business for a stronger balance sheet.”