Company: Airtel Africa
Country: Nigeria
Sector: Wireless Telecom.
CEO: Sunil Taldar
Website: https://www.airtel.africa
Careers Page: https://www.airtel.africa/opportunities
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom (operating headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya; largest market Nigeria)
Founded: 2010 (as Airtel Africa, following Bharti Airtel’s acquisition of Zain’s African operations)
Valuation/Revenue: $4.98bn revenue and $7.84bn market value (African Business Top 250, 2025 ranking); more recent data shows $6.16bn trailing-twelve-month revenue and a market cap of roughly $16.15bn as of August 2026 (companiesmarketcap.com), with full-year revenue reported growing 29.5% to $6,415m
Airtel Africa is a leading telecommunications and mobile money operator providing voice, data, and financial services across 14 African countries, primarily in East, Central, and West Africa. Majority owned by India’s Bharti Airtel, the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index, serving roughly 635 million people across its footprint as one of the continent’s largest mobile network operators.
What Does Airtel Africa Do?
Airtel Africa offers mobile voice and data services, along with Airtel Money, a mobile money and financial services platform with around 54 million active customers used for payments, transfers, savings, and merchant transactions in markets with limited traditional banking access. The company also operates Nxtra by Airtel Africa, a data centre business supporting its network infrastructure and enterprise cloud services. Its 14 markets include Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, DRC, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, and Seychelles, with Nigeria representing its largest single market by revenue.
Is Airtel Africa Legit?
Yes. Airtel Africa is a FTSE 100-listed public company with regular audited financial reporting, a large operational footprint, and a majority shareholder (Bharti Airtel) that is itself one of the world’s largest telecom operators. It publishes detailed annual reports and quarterly trading updates.
How Big Is Airtel Africa?
Airtel Africa ranked 32nd on African Business magazine’s Top 250 Companies in Africa for 2025, with revenue of approximately $4.98bn and a market value of $7.84bn on that list’s basis. More recent company reporting shows continued strong growth: full-year revenue rose 29.5% to $6,415m according to a 2026 business report, and trailing-twelve-month revenue reached roughly $6.16bn with a market capitalisation of about $16.15bn as tracked by independent market-data providers in August 2026. The company has also reported that Nigeria became its second-largest market by average revenue per user, with ARPU there growing 41% year-on-year.
Who Is the CEO of Airtel Africa?
Sunil Taldar became CEO of Airtel Africa plc, succeeding long-time chief executive Olusegun (Segun) Ogunsanya, who retired from the role around mid-2024 after leading the company through its London listing and years of subscriber and mobile-money growth. Taldar continues to lead the company as of 2026.
Who Owns Airtel Africa?
Airtel Africa is majority owned by Bharti Airtel, the Indian telecommunications group founded by Sunil Bharti Mittal, with the remainder held by public shareholders following the company’s 2019 London Stock Exchange listing.
Is Airtel Africa Publicly Traded?
Yes. Airtel Africa listed on the London Stock Exchange in June 2019 and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 index, making it one of relatively few Africa-focused operating companies with a major London listing.
How Does Airtel Africa Compare to Its Competitors?
Airtel Africa’s largest continental rivals are MTN Group and Vodacom Group (via its various African operating companies), with all three competing intensely in mobile data, voice, and mobile money across overlapping markets such as Nigeria, Uganda, and the DRC. Airtel Africa markets itself as the second-largest telecom operator on the continent by subscriber base.
What Has Airtel Africa Been in the News For Recently?
Recent coverage has focused on strong revenue and profit growth driven by rising data and mobile-money usage, with nine-month profit reported to have more than doubled in one recent period as data revenue lifted overall turnover. The CEO transition from Segun Ogunsanya to Sunil Taldar was a significant leadership story, and Ogunsanya’s subsequent appointment as an independent non-executive director at rival operator Vodacom in 2026 drew industry attention as a notable cross-competitor board move.
What Is Airtel Africa’s Ownership and Listing Structure?
Beyond its London Stock Exchange primary listing, Airtel Africa has pursued local listings of certain operating subsidiaries in some of its African markets, including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi, partly to satisfy local ownership and regulatory requirements and partly to give local investors direct exposure to the businesses operating in their own markets. The group has also periodically explored partial monetisation of its mobile money unit, Airtel Mobile Commerce, to strategic investors, reflecting the segment’s growing standalone value as digital financial services usage expands across its 14-country footprint.
Links
Website: https://www.airtel.africa
Careers Page: https://www.airtel.africa/opportunities
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
What does Airtel Africa do?
It provides mobile voice, data, and Airtel Money mobile financial services across 14 African countries, plus data centre services through Nxtra.
Who owns Airtel Africa?
Bharti Airtel of India holds a majority stake, with the rest held by public shareholders since the company’s 2019 London Stock Exchange listing.
Who is the CEO of Airtel Africa?
Sunil Taldar is CEO, having succeeded Segun Ogunsanya around mid-2024.
Is Airtel Africa a Nigerian company?
Airtel Africa is incorporated and listed in London, but Nigeria is one of its largest and most significant operating markets by revenue.
How much revenue does Airtel Africa make?
Revenue was reported around $6.4bn for a recent full year, up 29.5%, with African Business magazine’s 2025 Top 250 list citing approximately $4.98bn on its methodology.
Is Airtel Africa publicly traded?
Yes, on the London Stock Exchange, where it is a FTSE 100 constituent.