{
  "id": 5957383,
  "title": "Ethiopia: Ethio Telecom Promises First Dividend to Small Shareholders",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/ethiopia-ethio-telecom-promises-first-dividend-to-small-shareholders",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-06T08:13:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/ethio-telecom-dividend-shareholders-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ethio Telecom has announced that it will offer its first dividend to small shareholders in the upcoming fiscal year. The dividend amount will be determined and announced during the company's first annual general meeting, scheduled for the coming budget year. The company reported record revenue of 162 billion birr, or roughly US$1 billion, for the year ending July 2025. Private shareholders were not given any portion of the 12 billion birr dividend declared for that period. The company explained that private shareholders would become eligible for distributions starting from the 2025/26 fiscal year, once their holdings were properly registered. Ethio Telecom will publish audited financial statements and investor documentation before the annual general meeting, where the dividend amount and other strategic decisions will be made. Shareholders can then receive the payout directly into their telebirr mobile money accounts once the General Assembly approves the distribution. Despite a low subscription rate, about 45,000 retail investors participated in the initial offering, which was ultimately undersubscribed. This marks a significant shift for the state-owned telecom company, which has never had to answer to external shareholders before. The dividend payment is a critical step in establishing a functioning capital market in Ethiopia, signaling the company's commitment to returning value to its shareholders.",
  "summary": "Retail investors who bought into Ethiopia's first big public offering were left out of last year's distribution. The company says that changes now. The post Ethiopia: Ethio Telecom Promises First Dividend to Small Shareholders appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}