Airtel Nigeria has announced plans to double its capital expenditure in 2025 following a strong full-year performance by its parent company, Airtel Africa.
Airtel Africa reported a profit after tax of $328 million for the year ended March 2025.
This represents recovery from the $89 million reported in the previous fiscal year, when foreign exchange and derivative losses, particularly from Nigeria, heavily impacted group earnings.
The telecom operator with a subscriber base of 58.26 million in Nigeria alone revealed that the new investment will focus on critical infrastructure upgrades, rural coverage expansion, enhanced data capabilities and customer experience improvements.
In the fiscal year ended March 2025, Airtel Nigeria spent $168 million on capital expenditure, a 33.33 percent decline from the $252 million invested in the preceding year.
However, the company is now moving in the opposite direction, aligning with projections from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which estimates that telecom operators will invest approximately N1.59 trillion ($1 billion) in network infrastructure in 2025 to address persistent service challenges caused by years of underinvestment.
“Our decision to double our investment reflects our deep commitment to Nigeria’s future. As a company that views Nigeria as home, we are investing in transformative infrastructure that will deliver unmatched value to our customers and make connectivity an everyday reality for more Nigerians,” said Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria.
According to Airtel, the increased investment will support accelerated 5G rollout, improve rural network penetration, expand fibre optic infrastructure, and include the deployment of high-capacity radios to address surging data traffic.
The company also disclosed plans to construct a new data centre in Nigeria as part of its infrastructure roadmap.
This move comes amid heightened capital spending across the telecom sector. MTN Nigeria recently disclosed a 159 percent increase in its capital expenditure, reaching N202.4 billion in the first quarter of 2025 alone.
The competitive drive toward network efficiency and data service expansion is expected to intensify as operators position themselves to capture greater market share in a digitally evolving economy.
With Nigeria’s growing demand for robust digital infrastructure, Airtel Nigeria’s renewed investment strategy is poised to reinforce its market presence while contributing to national broadband objectives.
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