LEARN · STEP 1 OF 5
What is the Nigerian Exchange (NGX)?
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) is the marketplace where shares of Nigerian companies (Dangote Cement, GTCO, Zenith Bank, Nestlé Nigeria and about 150 others) are bought and sold. It is regulated, it trades weekdays 9:00am–4:00pm WAT, and you access it through a licensed stockbroker, not by walking in.
The market in one paragraph
Think of the NGX the way you think of a big market in Lagos, except instead of tomatoes, what changes hands are shares: small slices of ownership in real companies. When you buy a share of Dangote Cement, you own a tiny piece of that business. Prices move through the day as buyers and sellers agree on what each slice is worth.
The All-Share Index (ASI)
You will hear “the market is up” or “the market is down.” That usually refers to the ASI, a single number that tracks the combined value of the biggest listed companies. When the ASI rises, most large stocks rose that day; when it falls, most fell. Nairaview’s home page shows the latest snapshot.
Who runs it and who watches it
- NGX Group operates the exchange: the trading platform and the rules.
- The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) Nigeria regulates the market and licenses stockbrokers. If someone selling you shares is not SEC-licensed, walk away.
- The CSCS keeps the electronic record of who owns what. Your shares live there, not as paper certificates.
Quick summary
- The NGX is where shares of Nigerian companies trade, weekdays 9:00am–4:00pm WAT.
- The ASI is the headline number that summarises the whole market’s direction.
- You buy through a licensed stockbroker; the SEC regulates, the CSCS keeps ownership records.