As the revolutionary Airtel Spam AI Alert Service rolls out across Airtel Africa’s 14 operating countries, Airtel Nigeria CEO, Dinesh Balsingh, has elaborated on the unprecedented benefits and operating principles guiding the Spam Alert Service.

Designed to enhance user safety, this pioneering AI-driven product provides real-time defense against spam and fraudulent SMS messages, making it a gamechanger for mobile security across the continent.

The Airtel AI Spam Alert Service, which is engineered to automatically detect and label suspicious SMS messages as “Suspected SPAM” without requiring any user action or additional apps, leverages a robust AI algorithm that analyzes over 250 parameters.

These parameters includee sender behavior, message frequency, message geographical distribution, and unusual activity patterns. Impressively, the service completes this process under just two milliseconds, offering near-instantaneous alerts while maintaining the privacy of user data by not reading message content.

Commenting on the breakthrough service, Dinesh Balsingh, CEO of Airtel Nigeria, stated: “Nigeria is not just a critical market for us—it’s a leader in digital adoption within the continent. Our AI Spam Alert Service reflects our dedication to safeguarding our customers from the growing threat of SMS fraud.

“As the first of its kind in Africa, it addresses a fundamental issue of trust and security, which is paramount to our digital ecosystem. We’re proud to offer this service to Nigerians and extend it across our African footprint.”

Following its successful deployment in Nigeria, the Spam Alert Service has now launched in Tanzania and Kenya and is set to cover Airtel’s entire African operations. The service’s automatic activation for all Airtel customers, across both smartphones and feature phones, ensures maximum reach and accessibility.

Early feedback from subscribers has been overwhelmingly positive, with users praising the AI’s efficiency in flagging potentially harmful messages without interfering with their everyday communication.

By pioneering this AI-based spam detection technology, Airtel Africa demonstrates its commitment to leveraging cutting-edge innovation to resolve critical issues facing its subscribers. The AI Spam Alert Service not only protects users but also sets a new benchmark for mobile security standards in the region.

“Our goal is to build a safer digital environment for our users,” added Balsingh. “This innovation is part of our broader strategy to incorporate advanced technologies that address real challenges while enhancing the overall customer experience.”

As Africa stands at the point of a profound transformation, the imperative for greater intra-continental cooperation has never been clearer. The path to shared prosperity depends not on the progress of individual nations but on the collective strength of our commitments.

Central to this vision is the relationship between South Africa and Nigeria, two of the continent’s largest economies, and the institutions that serve as bridges between them.

It was an honour for MTN Group to host Minister Parks Tau (SA Minister of Trade Industry and Competition) and his delegation at our Headquarters in Johannesburg. At a time when global uncertainties are reshaping trade and technology, Africa must respond not in isolation, but in solidarity.

As MTN, we see it as our duty to serve as an economic diplomatic bridge between Nigeria and South Africa — driving growth, fostering inclusion, and unlocking opportunity for the Africa’s shared prosperity.

MTN’s journey exemplifies what is possible when two great nations collaborate. As Nigeria’s largest South African investor, MTN has long viewed its presence not simply as a commercial venture but as a platform for inclusive development.

Since commencing operations in Nigeria in 2001, we have invested more than US$10 billion in the country’s digital infrastructure.

Today, MTN Nigeria serves over 80 million subscribers, employs thousands directly, and supports hundreds of thousands of livelihoods across its extended value chain.

Yet, while the economic footprint is significant, our greatest source of pride lies in the social and developmental outcomes accompanying this investment, expanded access to connectivity, enhanced financial inclusion, and the empowerment of individuals and enterprises through digital technologies.

Still, the operating environment remains complex. Macroeconomic challenges in Nigeria, including currency depreciation, inflation, and constraints in accessing foreign exchange, have placed pressure on business continuity and investor confidence.

Despite these difficulties, MTN remains firmly committed to its business case and its long-term presence in Nigeria, underpinned by a belief in the country’s enduring potential and strategic importance to the continent.

However, for South Africa and Nigeria to truly unlock their bilateral potential, a number of long-standing issues require resolution. The upcoming South Africa–Nigeria Trade and Investment Summit, to be held in Abuja later this year, presents a unique opportunity to address these concerns.

The Summit serves not merely as a diplomatic engagement, but as a catalyst for policy reform, reciprocal market access, and institutional dialogue. Importantly, it should reinforce the private sector’s role in shaping practical, actionable solutions that support cross-border trade and investment.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers a historic platform to actualise these ambitions. Yet its success will depend as much on infrastructure and digital connectivity as it will on tariff liberalisation or regulatory harmonisation.

As a pan-African operator, MTN is investing heavily in the digital foundations of AfCFTA, facilitating seamless mobile communication, enabling digital payments, and building platforms for cross-border entrepreneurship.

We also believe that integration must extend beyond economic frameworks to include cultural exchange and people-to-people engagement. One such initiative is our MTN Media Innovation Programme, which brings emerging Nigerian media professionals to South Africa for immersive learning.

Through programmes like these, we aim to cultivate not only knowledge and skills, but also enduring bonds between our nations’ future leaders.

Airtel Africa has grown its customer base by 8.7 percent to 166.1 million, the increase was with a focus on digital inclusion, supporting a 4.3 per cent increase in smartphone penetration to 44.8 per cent, according to its full year result released yesterday.

Data customers increased by 14.1 per cent to 73.4 million, with data usage per customer increasing by 30.4 per cent to 7.0 GB, supporting data ARPU growth of 15.4 per cent in constant currency.

Financial performance

In Q4’25, transaction value increased by 34 per cent in constant currency, with annualised transaction value at $ 145 billion.

The firm said its strategic focus on great customer experience was underpinned by sustained network investment, with the rollout of 2,583 new sites and approximately 3,300 km of fibre, supporting increased data capacity across the region.

Revenues of $4.955 billion grew by 21.1 per cent in constant currency but declined by 0.5 per cent in reported currency as currency devaluation impacted reported revenues. Strong execution and the tariff adjustments in Nigeria contributed to a further quarter of accelerating growth, with Q4’25 revenue growth of 23.2 per cent in constant currency, and 17.8 per cent in reported currency as currency headwinds eased.

Across the Group, mobile services revenue grew by 19.6 per cent in constant currency, driven by voice revenue growth of 10.6 per cent and data revenue growth of 30.5 per cent. Mobile money revenue grew by 29.9 per cent in constant currency.

For the year ended March 31, 2025, underlying EBITDA declined by 5.1 per cent in reported currency to $2.304 billion, with underlying EBITDA margins of 46.5 per cent compared to 48.8 per cent in the prior year, impacted by increased fuel prices and the lower contribution of Nigeria to the Group.

However, following a more stable operating environment and benefits from Airtel Africa’s cost efficiency programme, underlying EBITDA margins have expanded from 45.3 per cent in Q1’25 to 47.3 per cent in Q4’25.

Profit after tax of $328 million improved from a $89 million loss in the prior period. The prior period was significantly impacted by derivative and foreign exchange losses, primarily in Nigeria.

Basic EPS of 6.0 cents compares to negative (4.4 cents) in the prior period, predominantly reflecting lower derivative and foreign exchange losses in the current period.

EPS before exceptional items declined from 10.1 cents in the prior period to 8.2 cents, largely due to higher finance cost arising on account of tower contract renewals, which had a neutral to positive impact on cashflows, and a deferred impact of prior period currency devaluation.

The Board recommended a final dividend of 3.9 cents per share, making the total dividend for the full year 6.5 cents per share, a 9.2 per cent growth from the previous year, in line with the dividend policy. In addition, during the year, Airtel Africa returned $120 million to shareholders through share buyback programmes.

Sunil Taldar, Chief Executive Officer, said, “We have reported another strong operating performance as our strategy continues to deliver against the significant opportunity that exists across our markets. The focus on our refreshed strategy has seen continued investment in the network while also driving improvements in our digital platforms and offerings to further enhance the customer experience.

“This has enabled increased digital inclusion with a further 20 per cent growth in our smartphone customers to 74.4 million, contributing to a 47.5 per cent increase in data traffic over the year. Furthermore, Airtel Money continues to support financial inclusion with customers increasing 17.3 per cent to 44.6 million and an expanding ecosystem underpinning the $ 136 billion transaction value, which increased 32 per cent in constant currency.”

He said: “An improving operating environment and focused execution contributed to strong momentum in our financial results with constant currency revenue growth peaking at 23.2 per cent in Q4’25. Part of this acceleration in the last quarter has also been driven by the Nigerian tariff adjustments.

“This accelerating revenue growth and cost optimization programme has supported quarterly EBITDA margin expansion during the year. Underlying EBITDA margins increased by 200 bps from 45.3 per cent in Q1’25 to 47.3 per cent in Q4’25, and we remain focused on further EBITDA margin improvements, subject to macroeconomic stability. This, combined with our robust capital structure and disciplined capital allocation, puts us in a strong position to continue investing in network capacity to deliver continued growth.

According to the CEO, “The recent stability in the operating environment is encouraging, however, we remain conscious of global developments that may impact our business. We will remain focused on delivering our strategy to transform the lives of our customers and support economic prosperity across our markets. I want to say a particular thank-you to our customers, partners, governments and regulators for their support and our employees for their unrelenting contribution to the business.”