Airtel Africa grows customer base by 8.7% to 166.1 million

In the review of its final year results, Sunil Taldar, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Africa Plc, noted that the increase was with a focus on digital inclusion, supporting a 4.3 per cent increase in smartphone penetration to 44.8 per cent.

Data customers increased by 14.1 per cent to 73.4 million, with data usage per customer increasing by 30.4 per cent to 7.0 GB, supporting data ARPU growth of 15.4 per cent in constant currency.

In Q4’25, transaction value increased by 34 per cent in constant currency, with annualised transaction value at $ 145 billion.

The firm said its strategic focus on great customer experience was underpinned by sustained network investment, with the rollout of 2,583 new sites and approximately 3,300 km of fibre, supporting increased data capacity across the region.

Revenues of $4.955 billion grew by 21.1 per cent in constant currency but declined by 0.5 per cent in reported currency as currency devaluation impacted reported revenues. Strong execution and the tariff adjustments in Nigeria contributed to a further quarter of accelerating growth, with Q4’25 revenue growth of 23.2 per cent in constant currency, and 17.8 per cent in reported currency as currency headwinds eased.

Across the Group, mobile services revenue grew by 19.6 per cent in constant currency, driven by voice revenue growth of 10.6 per cent and data revenue growth of 30.5 per cent. Mobile money revenue grew by 29.9 per cent in constant currency.

For the year ended March 31, 2025, underlying EBITDA declined by 5.1 per cent in reported currency to $2.304 billion, with underlying EBITDA margins of 46.5 per cent compared to 48.8 per cent in the prior year, impacted by increased fuel prices and the lower contribution of Nigeria to the Group.

However, following a more stable operating environment and benefits from Airtel Africa’s cost efficiency programme, underlying EBITDA margins have expanded from 45.3 per cent in Q1’25 to 47.3 per cent in Q4’25.