Airtel Africa Plc’s total customer base grew by 8.7 per cent to 166.1 million for the year ended March 31, 2025.
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.
Profit after tax of $328 million improved from a $89 million loss in the prior period. The prior period was significantly impacted by derivative and foreign exchange losses, primarily in Nigeria.
Basic EPS of 6.0 cents compares to negative (4.4 cents) in the prior period, predominantly reflecting lower derivative and foreign exchange losses in the current period.
EPS before exceptional items declined from 10.1 cents in the prior period to 8.2 cents, largely due to higher finance cost arising on account of tower contract renewals, which had a neutral to positive impact on cashflows, and a deferred impact of prior period currency devaluation.
The Board 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, Airtel Africa returned $120 million to shareholders through share buyback programmes.
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.”
He said, “An improving operating environment and focused execution contributed to strong momentum in our financial results with constant currency revenue growth peaking at 23.2 per cent in Q4’25. 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 200 bps from 45.3 per cent in Q1’25 to 47.3 per cent in Q4’25, 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.
According to the CEO, “The recent stability in the operating environment is encouraging, however, we remain conscious of global developments that may impact our business.
“We will remain focused on delivering our strategy to transform the lives of our customers and support economic prosperity across our markets.
“I want to say a particular thank-you to our customers, partners, governments and regulators for their support and our employees for their unrelenting contribution to the business.”
