Airtel Africa PLC

Latest Results (19.11.2025):

Airtel Africa PLC reported its latest financial results for Q2 2026 with robust growth across revenue, profitability, and customer metrics. The company’s strong performance was driven by advancing digital adoption, increased data consumption, a growing mobile money ecosystem, and significant network expansion across its operating markets. These results underscore its strategic focus on innovation, cost efficiency, and providing a superior customer experience while also strengthening its balance sheet and returning value to shareholders.

Revenue & Profit Growth

For Q2 2026, revenues reached $2,982m, demonstrating a strong increase of 25.8% in reported currency and 24.5% on a constant currency basis. EBITDA climbed by 33.2% to $1,447m with margins expanding from 45.8% to 48.5% (49.0% in Q2 2026 versus 46.4% in the prior year). Profit after tax surged to $376m, and basic EPS jumped from 0.8 cents to 8.3 cents, reflecting the robust operating performance and beneficial foreign exchange movements.

Mobile & Data Excellence

The company’s strategic initiatives continue to pay off with an overall customer base expansion to 173.8 million (up 11.0%), including data customers reaching 78.1 million with an 18.4% boost. Smartphone penetration increased to 46.8% and data ARPU rose by 16.8% in constant currency, driven by a 45.0% increase in data traffic, illustrating the high demand for digital services.

Digital Financial Services

Airtel Money’s performance remains impressive with its customer base growing 20% to 49.8 million. The annualised total processed value for Q2 2026 exceeded $193bn—a 35.9% increase—helping to lift constant currency ARPU by 11% and reinforcing the company’s role in advancing financial inclusion in the region.

Network Investment & Capex Guidance

Ongoing investments in network expansion continue to support increased capacity and coverage. The rollout of over 2,350 new sites (part of more than 38,300 sites overall) and a nearly 4,000 km extension of the fibre network underline this commitment. Capex for Q2 2026 was $318m with updated FY’26 guidance now set between $875m and $900m to capture emerging opportunities across markets.

Financial Strength & Shareholder Returns

Improvements in capital management were evident as leverage declined from 2.3x to 2.1x, with lease-adjusted leverage also improving from 1.0x to 0.8x. The company declared an interim dividend of 2.84 cents per share—a 9.2% increase—and confirmed that its $100m share buy-back programme remains on track, reinforcing its commitment to delivering long-term shareholder value.