Telecom
Airtel Africa’s Revenue Drops 16%, Records $7M Net Profit in Q1 of 2025
Airtel Africa has reported a consolidated net profit of $ 7 million for the first quarter of its 2025 financial year ending June 2024 against a $ 170 million loss in the year-ago period.
Its net profit was primarily impacted by the $ 80 million of exceptional derivative and foreign exchange losses (net of tax) and lower Ebitda due to significant currency devaluation across key markets, Airtel Africa said.
It had reported a loss of $ 91 million for the fourth quarter ended March 2024 on account of tax impact and forex loss.
“Strong fundamentals and focussed execution continue to support operating performance despite challenging macro-economic environment,” the company, which operates in 14 African countries, said.
The company’s consolidated revenue fell 16 per cent in Q1 FY25 to $ 1,156 million from $ 1,377 million a year ago.
The decline in revenue reflects the impact of currency devaluation, particularly in Nigeria, the company said.
“We have initiated a comprehensive cost optimisation programme across the Group. We have already seen success in this project, with savings arising in network and distribution costs, and continued opportunities as contract renegotiations continue. We expect sustainable savings to continue as the year progresses,” said Airtel Africa CEO Sunil Taldar.
Airtel Africa has fully repaid the outstanding debt due at the HoldCo during Q1, he said, adding that the company is trying to further reduce foreign currency exposure to limit the impact of currency devaluation on the business.
“The growth opportunity across our markets remains compelling, and we continue to focus on margin improvement as indicated in our FY24 results,” Taldar said.
The company’s Ebitda margins tanked to 45.3 per cent from 49.5 per cent in the year-ago period.
“Reported currency trends were clearly impacted by the FX headwinds across some of our markets, particularly in Nigeria and Malawi. This contributed to a reported Group revenue and Ebitda decline of 16.1 per cent and 23.3 per cent, respectively, in Q125,” the company said.
Its total customer base grew by 8.6 per cent to 155.4 million.
“Data customer penetration continues to rise, driving a 13.4 per cent increase in data customers to 64.4 million. Data usage per customer increased by 25.1 per cent to 6.2 GBs, with smartphone penetration increasing 4.7 per cent to reach 41.7 per cent,” the company said.
Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
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