Airtel Africa reports record profit, customer base soars to 169.4 million

By Obianuju Uzukwu

Airtel Africa has recorded its highest-ever profit, driven by a surge in data and mobile money services, as its customer base swelled to 169.4 million across the continent. The telecom giant’s latest financial results underscore its strong market position and operational efficiency, even amid economic headwinds and currency pressures in key African markets. The milestone marks a major leap in Airtel’s growth trajectory, cementing its status as a dominant force in Africa’s telecom landscape.

Investors are expected to swoop on the company’s stock on the expectation of a share price appreciation and bumper dividend.

Airtel Africa’s profit after tax (PAT) spiked by 408.10 percent to $156 million in June 2025 from $31 million as at June 2024.

The telco giant benefitted from a $22m gain largely arising from the Central African franc (CFA) appreciation during the quarter.

Sales were up 24.90 percent in constant currency to $1415 million and 22.40 percent in reported currency. The acceleration in constant currency revenue growth from the previous quarter reflects not only the impact of the tariff adjustments in Nigeria, but also a strong performance in Francophone Africa reflecting the continued execution of our strategy focused on the customer experience.

Airtel Africa grew total customer base grew by 9.0 percent to 169.4 million, with data customers increasing 17.4 percent to 75.6 million; this, alongside a 4.3 percent increase in smartphone penetration to 45.9 percent, contributed to accelerating demand for data services with data ARPU growth accelerating to 18.5 percent in constant currency1 as data usage across our network increased by 47.4 percent.

“We are very pleased with the strong growth in our operating and financial performance in the first quarter. The strength of this performance, and the scale of the growth we achieved, reflects the sustained demand for our services and the strength of our business model to meet these demands,” said Sunil Taldar, chief executive officer of Airtel Africa.

“Operationally, the acceleration in customer base growth to 9 percent, and 17.4 percent growth in our data customers to 75.6m reflects the strong on-ground execution with a relentless focus on digitisation and the simplification of the customer experience,” said Taldar.