Another step forward for Africa-based investor relations (IR) specialist Rob Stangroom, who helps companies build excellent corporate IR websites and get their results out widely and quickly to investors. He gives African companies the chance to get up to speed with best global practice in making up-to-date transparent information available and accessible to investors, analysts, fund managers and the public.
Last week he announced that Zimbabwe-based stockbroker Lynton Edwards Securities (www.lynton-edwards.com) is using data direct from corporate IR websites to service clients’ information needs about Zimbabwe-listed companies. LES uses their own website to link corporate investor relations website data, news and corporate actions directly from the listed company websites.
According to Rob in a press announcement: “This model avoids the pitfalls of having to re-process investment data for brokers, who in Zimbabwe, have traditionally struggled with ensuring that the Internet is used to efficiently disseminate data to investors. A review of a few Zimbabwe-based broker websites shows out-of-date and incomplete information and the new LES website is a win-win situation for brokers and the listed companies covered.”
We know the problem of out-of-date and irrelevant African websites only too well. When will some African companies and securities markets realize that the Internet is their window the world, their highway to give information about what they are doing to investors?
Zimbabwean companies are facing pressure to increase shareholding by “indigenous” Zimbabweans, so Rob believes a good retail shareholder strategy “should be on the agenda for every listed company. Firstly, it makes commercial sense, it makes sense from a governance perspective and lastly, it’s a means of mitigating political risk.” He adds that it also benefits the stockbrokers, who give their clients what they need.
Rob manages www.africanfinancials.com, Africa’s largest free portal of online annual reports and he also blogs on www.africaniscool.com.