Airtel Africa has reported a 27 percent increase in net profit to $198 million (Sh25.5 billion) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, propelled by significant subscriber growth in Kenya and the broader East African region.

The telecommunications giant's revenue climbed 31 percent to $1.853 billion (Sh239 billion), driven by strong performances in both mobile and financial services sectors.

East Africa Leads Growth

East Africa emerged as a key growth engine, recording a 14.4 percent revenue increase in constant currency terms. This growth was supported by a 9.3 percent expansion in Airtel’s customer base and a 5.3 percent rise in average revenue per user (ARPU), underscoring the region's strategic importance to Airtel Africa.

In Kenya, Airtel has steadily increased its market presence, capturing approximately 35 percent of the mobile market, up from previous years, while Safaricom’s share declined to about 64 percent, according to the latest Communications Authority of Kenya data.

Strong Financial and Network Investment

Revenue from East Africa reached $607 million (Sh78.3 billion), marking a 21.9 percent increase. Voice revenue grew by 8 percent, supported by the rising subscriber numbers.

Group CEO Sunil Taldar attributed the strong results to ongoing investments in customer experience, network expansion, and digital transformation efforts. He highlighted efforts to simplify customer interactions and leverage data analytics and artificial intelligence to enhance service delivery.

Digital Adoption and Mobile Money Growth

  • Smartphone penetration across Airtel Africa’s markets rose to 51 percent, up 5.2 percentage points from the previous year.
  • Data traffic surged 56.3 percent as customers increasingly adopted digital services.
  • The total customer base grew 11.6 percent to 189 million, with data users increasing 15.5 percent to 87.3 million.
  • Average monthly data consumption per user increased from 7.8GB to 10.6GB, driving a 10.3 percent rise in data ARPU.
  • Mobile money customers expanded by 23.3 percent to 56.5 million, with transaction value soaring 51.5 percent to over $245 billion (Sh31.6 trillion).

Taldar confirmed that Airtel Money is on track for a London Stock Exchange listing later this year, expected to attract international investors and enhance the platform’s value.

Infrastructure Expansion

Capital expenditure surged to $389 million (Sh50.2 billion) from $121 million (Sh15.6 billion) the previous year, enabling the addition of over 920 new network sites and expansion of the fibre network to 82,100 kilometres.

These investments in network quality, coupled with cost-efficiency initiatives, position Airtel Africa to sustain growth despite challenges such as rising energy costs amid global geopolitical tensions.