Airtel Africa achieves over $4.95 billion in annual revenue

Airtel Africa Plc has delivered a strong financial performance for the year ending March 31, 2025, reporting total revenue of $4.96 billion. The telecommunications giant achieved a revenue growth of 21.1 percent in constant currency.

However, when reported in actual currency terms, the revenue reflected a slight decrease of 0.5 percent due to the impact of currency devaluation.

The company attributed the positive performance to effective strategy execution and recent tariff adjustments in Nigeria, which supported a strong finish to the year.

In the fourth quarter alone, revenue increased by 23.2 percent in constant currency and by 17.8 percent in reported currency, as the effects of currency volatility began to ease.

According to the financial report, revenue from mobile services grew by 19.6 percent in constant currency. This growth was driven by a 10.6 percent increase in voice services and a significant 30.5 percent rise in data services. Mobile money services also recorded solid performance, growing by 29.9 percent in constant currency.

Airtel Africa’s profit after tax rose to $328 million, marking a major turnaround from a loss of $89 million in the previous financial year. The earlier loss was largely attributed to derivative and foreign exchange losses, particularly in Nigeria.

The Board has proposed a final dividend payout of 3.9 cents per share. This brings the total dividend for the year to 6.5 cents per share, representing an increase of 9.2 percent compared to the previous year, aligning with the company’s dividend policy.

Additionally, Airtel Africa returned $120 million to shareholders through share repurchase initiatives.

Despite these gains, the company saw a decline in its underlying Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA), which dropped by 5.1 percent in reported currency to $2.3 billion.

This decline was primarily due to rising fuel prices and a reduced contribution from the Nigerian market. As a result, the EBITDA margin decreased to 46.5 percent, down from 48.8 percent in the previous year.

However, the company ended the year on a strong note. Benefiting from a more stable operating environment and continued cost-efficiency measures, the EBITDA margin improved over the quarters—from 45.3 percent in the first quarter to 47.3 percent in the fourth quarter of the financial year.

Commenting on the performance, Airtel Africa Chief Executive Officer Sunil Taldar stated, “We have reported another strong operating performance as our strategy continues to deliver against the significant opportunity that exists across our markets.”