Airtel Africa Net Profit improved to US$813m from $328m in the prior period. Higher profit after tax in the current period was driven by higher operating profit and derivative and foreign exchange gains of US$127m compared to US$179m derivative and foreign exchange losses in the prior period.
Airtel Africa, which has a presence in 14 countries including Kenya, saw its customer base increased by 10.5% to 183.5 million, marking the highest net additions to date.
Data customers grew by 14.8% to 84.2 million as smartphone penetration rose another 4.7% to 49.5%.
Data demand remains robust with data usage per customer increasing to 8.9 GB per month from 7.0 GB in the prior period, underpinning constant currency growth of 16.2% in data ARPUs, reflecting the strength of our digital focus and customer first approach.
Airtel Money continued to scale and deepen engagement, with an expanded customer base of 54.1 million, up by 21.3% year-on-year. Broader use cases and higher adoption across the digital platform drove 49% growth in annualised total processed value (TPV) to over US$215bn in reported currency in Q4’26.
This ongoing ecosystem expansion and increased customer activity supported an 8.6% uplift in constant-currency ARPU, underscoring Airtel Money’s growing role as a trusted digital financial services platform.
During the year, Airtel Africa rolled out 3,250+ new sites and expanded its fibre network by approximately 3,200 Kms to 81,900 Kms, strengthening network reach and resilience while supporting improved service quality.
Capex guidance for 2027 financial year is approximately US$1.1bn, reflecting accelerated investment to expand coverage and capacity, while also investing in home broadband (HBB) and data centres, as Airtel reinforces its strategy to scale digital infrastructure to meet rising demand.
Sunil Taldar, Airtel Africa Chief Executive Officer, said “This year delivered a very strong performance across both operating and financial metrics, reflecting the attractive industry fundamentals and structural growth drivers across our footprint. This backdrop, and the continued success of our strategy contributed to our highest level of customer additions, revenue and EBITDA growth.
Adoption of new digital technologies and AI has been pivotal in unlocking growth opportunities and driving efficiencies, with wide-ranging rollouts enhancing customer experience through site-level network optimisation, streamlined onboarding and accelerating the rollout of myAirtel app, a single-touchpoint customer interface designed to streamline service adoption and deliver a more intuitive digital journey.
This focused strategy has contributed to a further 22% increase in smartphone customers to 91 million, driving an almost 50% increase in data traffic and, together with another strong Airtel Money performance, supported a step-up in constant-currency revenue growth to 24.0%.
Airtel Money has made strong progress across digital adoption, ecosystem expansion and product innovation this year.
Customer engagement continues to deepen, with app transacting customers up 74% and annualised TPV of over US$215bn in Q4’26. Market conditions following recent geopolitical developments have affected the anticipated timing of the Airtel Money IPO.
The Telco said it has made good progress and remain committed to the listing as market conditions allow, with the intention of undertaking the IPO in the second half of 2026.
The recent increase in energy costs arising from the ongoing geopolitical events will likely lead to increased cost inflation, resulting in EBITDA margin pressure in the near-term. However, Airtel said with a strong growth outlook, and an enhanced focus on cost efficiencies, it will look to limit the overall impact on our business.
Our accelerated investment strategy remains focused on maximising value from our core growth businesses, while
investing in new and fast-growing areas, including enterprise, that will further advance both digital and financial inclusion.
Airtel Africa is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with operations in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Airtel Africa provides an integrated offer to its subscribers, including mobile voice and data services as well as mobile money services both nationally and internationally.
The company’s strategy is focused on providing a great customer experience across the entire footprint, enabling Airtel Africa’s corporate purpose.
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