The need for stronger performance standards and accountability in Nigeria’s capital market will come under renewed focus as the PEARL Awards prepare for its 2026 edition.

The organisers are positioning the annual event as a platform for measurable corporate excellence.

The 2026 PEARL Awards Nite, scheduled for November 29 in Lagos, will be held under the theme, “Celebrating Excellence, Inspiring the Future.”

President/Chief Executive Officer of PEARL Awards Nigeria, Tayo Orekoya, said the organisation’s focus would extend beyond recognising past achievements to encouraging market participants to contribute to the future development of Nigeria’s capital market.

Orekoya, in a statement issued by the PEARL Awards Project Manager, Olisemeka Obi, said the awards had, over three decades, provided a platform to recognise corporate performance and promote best practices in the market.

He said the 2026 edition would challenge companies and other market participants to look beyond past achievements and focus on building a stronger and more sustainable capital market.

The organisers said the PEARL Awards would continue to distinguish itself through an assessment system based on empirical facts, figures and measurable performance indicators derived from companies’ activities in the capital market.

Unlike awards driven primarily by nominations or public voting, the organisers said the PEARL Awards evaluate companies based on evidence of their market performance.

The emphasis on measurable performance comes as the organisation strengthens its governance structure by appointing three new board members.

The new members are Bunmi Lawson, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Edfin Microfinance Bank; Ibrahim Boyi, former Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services, Securities and Exchange Commission; and Johnson Chukwu, Managing Director of Cowry Asset Management Limited.

Orekoya said the appointments would broaden the professional expertise available to the board, drawing experience from financial services, regulation and investment management.

He said their expertise would support the organisation’s efforts to strengthen the awards and deepen its contribution to developing Nigeria’s capital market.

The 2026 edition follows the organisation’s 30th anniversary celebration last year. It is expected to bring together listed companies, investors, regulators, stockbrokers, fund managers and other stakeholders in the financial and capital markets.