Airtel Africa has announced robust financial results for the year ended March 31, 2026, recording a 29.5 per cent increase in revenue to $6.42 billion, supported by rising data consumption, revised tariffs in Nigeria, and growing adoption of its mobile money services across Africa.
In its audited financial statement, the telecom operator disclosed that profit after tax climbed sharply by 147.4 per cent to $813 million, compared with $328 million in the preceding financial year. Operating profit also rose by 45.1 per cent to reach $2.12 billion.
The company noted that its total subscriber base expanded by 10.5 per cent to 183.5 million customers during the period, representing its strongest customer growth on record. Data subscribers increased by 14.8 per cent to 84.2 million users, aided by broader smartphone usage, with penetration rising to 49.5 per cent.
Airtel Africa financial results for FY26
Nigeria continued to play a major role in the company’s performance, as revenue from its mobile services segment in the country surged by 52.8 per cent to $1.6 billion. Data revenue in Nigeria also recorded substantial growth, climbing nearly 70 per cent to $820 million.
According to the company, the impressive performance was driven by increasing demand for internet services, wider smartphone adoption, and tariff reviews implemented in the Nigerian market.
Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, Sunil Taldar, said the results reflected solid growth opportunities and strong market fundamentals across the company’s operating regions.
He added that Airtel Money continued to gain momentum through increased digital adoption, broader ecosystem expansion, and ongoing product innovation.
Underlying EBITDA for the year rose by 37.2 per cent to $3.16 billion, while EBITDA margin improved to 49.3 per cent from 46.5 per cent recorded a year earlier.
The telecommunications company also revealed plans to strengthen infrastructure investments, projecting capital expenditure of about $1.1 billion for the 2027 financial year. The investment is expected to support network upgrades, fibre expansion, home broadband services, and data centre development.
During the financial year, Airtel Africa rolled out more than 3,250 additional network sites and expanded its fibre network by about 3,200 kilometres, bringing its total fibre coverage to roughly 81,900 kilometres.
Its mobile money business also delivered strong growth, with customer numbers rising by 21.3 per cent to 54.1 million users. The annualised transaction value exceeded $215 billion in the fourth quarter of FY2026.
The company further stated that preparations remain on course for the planned Airtel Money initial public offering expected in the second half of 2026, subject to market conditions.
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