By CHATULA KANGALI –
AIRTEL Zambia shareholders have approved a dividend payment of K4 per share for the financial year ended December 2017.
The payment of the dividend was agreed and approved by stakeholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on March 29 this year at the Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka.
According to a notice of dividend posted by the Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE), the dividend would be paid to shareholders registered with the company.
“In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act No. 41 of 2016  and the Listings Rules of the LuSE, notice is hereby given that the final dividend shall be payable to shareholders registered in the company’s books at the close of business on Friday April, 27 2018. The payment date will be on or about Monday 30th April 2018,” states LuSE
Shareholders have since been advised to submit their bank account details to the company to facilitate payment of dividends.
Meanwhile Izwe loans limited recorded a profit after tax of K94.5m for the year ended December, 2017 representing a 196 percent increase.
The growth in the profit after tax has been attributed to the positive impact from enhanced Government policies and increased liquidity which enabled Izwe access to improved funding levels in the Zambian financial markets.
According to LuSE , the  company aims to grow its net loan book from the current K173 million  to K709.4m.
“On the back of this, Izwe posted a strong 48 percent gain in net interest income while containing its cost base and achieving a marked reduction in forex losses due to the stable currency,” LuSe stated.
Izwe Loans stated that the economic environment in the country is expected to remain buoyant this year with a possibility of further decreases in interest rates and inflation remaining under tight control.