Airtel Africa Sees Profit Surge by Over 100% in Nine Months, Driven by Data Revenue Growth

Wireless operator Airtel Africa has announced that its profit after tax for the nine months ending December 2025 more than doubled, reaching $586 million in reported currency. This substantial increase was largely propelled by a significant rise in data revenue, as detailed in its unaudited earnings report released on Friday.

The telecommunications provider, which maintains operations in fourteen sub- Saharan African nations, saw its turnover climb by 28.3 per cent to $4.7 billion. All its revenue streams, including voice, data, and its listing segment, contributed to this growth.

The impressive revenue performance was notably supported by currency appreciation in key markets, with particular emphasis on the Nigerian naira, Zambian kwacha, Ugandan and Tanzanian shilling, and the West African CFA franc.

Airtel Africa, headquartered in the UK and listed on the London Stock Exchange, also has a secondary listing in Nigeria, which represents its largest market.

"Our drive to foster financial inclusion across the continent continues to gain traction, with our Mobile Money customer base growing to 52 million, exceeding the 50 million milestone," stated CEO Sunil Taldar in a separate announcement. He further highlighted that the "annualised total processed value of over $210 billion in Q3’26 underscores the depth of our merchants, agents and partner ecosystem, and remains a key player in driving improved access to financial services across Africa. We remain on track for the listing of Airtel Money in the first half of 2026," he added.

Airtel Africa's mobile money services are supported by investments from entities such as Mastercard, Qatar Investment Authority, and the US-based private equity firm TPG, among other institutional backers.

The company also reported a rise in its EBITDA margin, a key indicator of operating profitability, to 48.9 per cent from 46.2 per cent. Simultaneously, total finance costs saw a reduction of 15.8 per cent, amounting to $506 million.

Airtel Africa confirmed that its total customer base expanded by 10 per cent to 179.4 million. Within this figure, data customers grew by 14.6 per cent, reaching 81.8 million.

Consequently, profit before tax surged by 107.2 per cent to $1 billion, up from $494 million in the prior period, while profit after tax saw an acceleration of 136.6 per cent, increasing to $586 million from $248 million.