Airtel Africa Reports 20.5% Half-Year Profit Rise to US$452m

Airtel Africa said profit after tax increased 20.5 per cent to US$452 million for the six months to September 30, 2026.

Revenue grew 28.2 per cent to US$3.82 billion, equivalent to a 20.8 per cent rise in constant currency.

Data revenue rose 28 per cent in constant currency to US$1.57 billion and mobile-money revenue grew 25.8 per cent in constant currency to US$840 million.

The group’s total customer base expanded 11.6 per cent to 193.9 million across its 14 African markets.

Data customers increased 15 per cent to 89.9 million, mobile-money customers rose 22.4 per cent to 60.9 million, smartphone penetration reached 51.6 per cent and average monthly data use per smartphone climbed to 13.3 GB from 10.1 GB a year earlier.

Underlying EBITDA rose 23.5 per cent in constant currency to US$1.92 billion, delivering a record underlying EBITDA margin of 50.4 per cent in the second quarter.

Operating profit increased 34.2 per cent to US$1.29 billion, net cash generated from operating activities grew 26.7 per cent to US$1.76 billion and operating free cash flow rose 12 per cent to US$1.26 billion.

Revenue growth was recorded in all three regions, led by Nigeria with 27 per cent growth in constant currency, followed by Francophone Africa at 19.2 per cent and East Africa at 18.2 per cent.

Chief Executive Officer Sunil Taldar said the results reflected strong demand and consistent execution of strategy, noted that rising fuel costs continued to pressure the cost base, and highlighted increased network investment to expand capacity and improve service quality.

He added that the recent Airtel Money IPO was a significant milestone, that the group retained its shareholding, and that AI is being used to better understand customers, speed up innovation, simplify journeys and strengthen fraud detection.