Airtel Africa returns to profitability, records $4,955m in revenue
A telecommunications giant, Airtel Africa Plc has reported revenue of $4,955 million for the financial year ended March 31, 2025. The company grew revenue by 21.1 per cent in constant currency but Dr lined by 0.5 per cent in reported currency as currency devaluation impacted on reported revenues.
The company said that strong execution and the tariff adjustments in Nigeria contributed to a further quarter of accelerating growth, with fourth quarter 2025 revenue growth of 23.2 per cent in constant currency, and 17.8 per cent in reported currency as currency headwinds eased.
According to the group result, 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 while Mobile money revenue grew by 29.9 per cent in constant currency.
The Profit after tax went to $328 million improving from a $89 million loss reported in the prior period. The negative performance in prior period was significantly impacted by derivative and foreign exchange losses, primarily in Nigeria.
The Board has recommended a final dividend of 3.9 cents per share, making the total dividend for the full year 6.5 cents per share, a 9.2 per cent growth from the previous year, in line with the dividend policy. In addition, during the year the group returned $120 million to shareholders through share buyback programmes.
However, for the year ended 31 March 2025, underlying EBITDA declined by 5.1 per cent in reported currency to $2,304 million 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 its cost efficiency programme, underlying EBITDA margins have expanded from 45.3 per cent in in the first quarter of 2025 to 47.3 per cent in fourth quarter of 2025.
Commenting on the trading update of the company, Chief Executive of the Airtel Africa, Sunil Taldar said “we have reported another strong operating performance as our strategy continues to deliver against the significant opportunity that exists across our markets. The focus on our refreshed strategy has seen continued investment in the network while also driving improvements in our digital platforms and offerings to further enhance the customer experience. This has enabled increased digital inclusion with a further 20 per cent growth in our smartphone customers to 74.4 million, contributing to a 47.5 per cent increase in data traffic over the year. Furthermore, Airtel Money continues to support financial inclusion with customers increasing 17.3 per cent to 44.6 million and an expanding ecosystem underpinning the $136 billion transaction value, which increased 32 per cent in constant currency
“An improving operating environment and focussed execution contributed to strong momentum in our financial results with constant currency revenue growth peaking at 23.2 per cent in fourth quarter 2025. Part of this acceleration in the last quarter has also been driven by the Nigerian tariff adjustments.
“This accelerating revenue growth and cost optimisation programme has supported quarterly EBITDA margin expansion during the year. Underlying EBITDA margins increased by 200bps from 45.3 per cent in first quarter 2025 to 47.3 per cent in fourth quarter 2025, and we remain focused on further EBITDA margin improvements subject to macroeconomic stability. This, combined with our robust capital structure and disciplined capital allocation, puts us in a strong position to continue investing in network capacity to deliver continued growth.
“We are making significant progress in our preparations for the Airtel Money IPO and remain committed to this objective. However, we are also mindful of evolving market conditions. Therefore, subject to these conditions, we anticipate a listing event in the first half of calendar year 2026.
