Airtel Africa Plc reported robust financial and operational performance for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 as profit after tax surged to $156 million from $31 million reported in the corresponding period of 2024.
The improved results showed strong customer growth, rising demand for data and mobile money services, and effective execution of the Group’s growth strategy across its 14 operating markets.
Total revenue grew by 24.9% in constant currency to $1.415 billion on sustained expansion in voice, data, and mobile money services. Voice revenue increased by 13.9% while data revenue rose by 38.1%, driven by a 17.4% increase in data customers to 75.6 million.
Smartphone penetration advanced to 45.9%, contributing to a 47.4% year-on-year surge in data usage.
Airtel Money delivered strong results in Q2 2025, with its customer base rising by 16.1% year-on-year to 45.8 million and annualised transaction value expanding by 35% to $162 billion, driven by broader use cases and deepening financial inclusion across its markets. Average revenue per user (ARPU) also grew by 11.3% in constant currency.
EBITDA rose by 29.8% to $679 million, with margin improving to 48.0% from 45.3% in the prior year. Operating profit benefitted from stable fuel costs, cost optimisation, and foreign exchange gains, including a $22 million gain from the appreciation of the Central African franc during the quarter.
Basic earnings per share stood at 3.4 cents, up from 0.2 cents in Q2 2024, while EPS before exceptional items also increased from 2.3 cents to 3.4 cents.
Capital expenditure declined to $121 million during the period, primarily due to timing differences. Airtel Africa maintained its full-year capex guidance at $725 million to $750 million.
During the quarter, the Group added over 2,300 new network sites, expanding total sites to 37,579 and fibre coverage to over 79,600 km. 4G population coverage increased to 74.7%, up 3.4 percentage points from a year ago.
The Group also advanced its debt localisation strategy, increasing the share of local currency debt to 95%, up from 86% in the prior year. While gross leverage increased to 2.2x from 1.6x due to a $1.3 billion rise in lease liabilities from tower contract renewals, lease-adjusted leverage remained flat at 0.9x.
As part of its shareholder return strategy, Airtel Africa continued its $55 million second tranche share buyback programme, repurchasing 7.1 million ordinary shares valued at $16.9 million as of June 30, 2025.
Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Taldar, said the company’s performance reflects strong demand, digital transformation, and continued investment in infrastructure.
“With smartphone penetration still at 45.9%, we see significant headroom to grow adoption and bridge the digital divide. Mobile money remains central to our growth as we scale financial services to reach more users across our markets,” he said.
Airtel Africa said it remains confident in its outlook, supported by strong fundamentals, network expansion, and a customer-centric strategy aimed at delivering long-term value across its operating regions.
