Airtel Africa has reported a 20.5% increase in profit after tax to $452 million for the six months to September 30, 2026. The growth was driven by strong performance in data and mobile-money services across its 14 markets. The company's revenue for the half-year period rose 28.2% to $3.82 billion, with a constant-currency growth of 20.8%. This reflects sustained demand for mobile connectivity and digital financial services.
The company's profit after tax increased from $376 million in the same period last year, while underlying EBITDA grew 23.5% in constant currency to $1.92 billion. Revenue growth was broad-based, with Nigeria posting a 27% constant-currency increase, East Africa 18.2%, and Francophone Africa 19.2%. This underscores the Group's regional diversification. The company's customer base also expanded, with overall customer numbers rising 11.6% to 193.9 million.
Data services remained a key driver of growth, delivering a 28% constant-currency revenue rise to $1.57 billion. This accounts for roughly half of total mobile services revenue. The growth was supported by a 15% increase in the data customer base to 89.9 million and higher smartphone penetration at 51.6%. Average data usage per smartphone customer climbed to 13.3 GB per month from 10.1 GB a year earlier.
Mobile-money revenue grew 25.8% in constant currency to $840 million, with the customer base expanding 22.4% to 60.9 million. This was helped by wider distribution networks and an expanding ecosystem of payment services. The processed transaction value annualised to $275 billion in the second quarter, a 36.5% increase. This highlights the scaling of Airtel Money's financial-services platform.
CEO Sunil Taldar noted that the recent Airtel Money IPO marked a milestone, with the Group retaining its shareholding and positioning itself for long-term value creation. He attributed the strong operating performance to deep underlying demand and disciplined execution. Despite higher fuel costs adding inflationary pressure, the company delivered a record underlying EBITDA margin of 50.4%.
The company attributed the result to operational discipline, cost-efficiency programmes, and scale benefits. Airtel Africa plans to accelerate network investment to expand capacity and improve service quality. The company will also leverage AI to deepen customer insights, accelerate innovation, and strengthen fraud detection.
The growth in data and mobile-money services is expected to continue, driven by increasing demand for digital financial services and mobile connectivity. The company's expansion plans and investment in AI are expected to drive further growth and innovation in the region.
Key points
- Airtel Africa's profit after tax increased 20.5% to $452 million for the six months to September 2026.
- Revenue growth was broad-based, with Nigeria, East Africa, and Francophone Africa posting significant increases.
- The company's mobile-money revenue grew 25.8% in constant currency to $840 million.
