Airtel Africa Pushes Rural Reach, Backs Green Future

Airtel Africa has released its 2025 Sustainability Report, spotlighting major advances in mobile connectivity, financial inclusion, and climate-conscious operations. Operating in 14 countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, the telecoms giant says it now reaches 81.2% of Africa’s population, with renewed focus on underserved rural communities.

Through 15,300 infrastructure sites across remote areas, Airtel now delivers voice, data, and Airtel Money services to millions of people previously off the grid. To sustain this scale, the company rolled out 2,600 new sites and laid 3,300 km of fibre optics, with a capital spend of $670 million over the financial year.

Airtel Africa’s Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Taldar, said: “It’s our responsibility to ensure that as we grow, we’re creating meaningful value for the people and communities we serve.”

Women, Schools and Young Coders Benefit from Broader Access

The company’s mobile money platform continues to fuel financial inclusion, with a 17.3% growth year-on-year and over $136 billion processed in transactions. Airtel Money now serves 44.6 million users, 44.2% of whom are women — a jump of 6.2% from the prior year.

This progress has translated to real-world impact in areas like small business financing and first-time access to financial services for informal traders and female entrepreneurs.

In education, Airtel’s $57 million UNICEF partnership has now connected 2,176 schools to the internet for free. The newly launched Airtel Africa Foundation has also kicked off scholarships in AI and data science, while supporting 25,000 youths in Nigeria through the 3MTT digital skills programme.

Greener Goals Backed by IFC Investment

On the sustainability front, Airtel Africa is scaling up green operations. In 2024/25 alone, the company transitioned 500 off-grid sites to public power supply, reduced diesel dependency, and swapped 1,411 obsolete batteries for lithium-ion versions.

It also achieved a 93% waste recycling rate and secured a $135 million sustainability-linked loan from the International Finance Corporation. The loan, directed at projects in the DRC and Rwanda, is tied to clear targets for digital inclusion, gender equality, and environmental responsibility.

The report confirms Airtel’s alignment with frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Reporting Initiative, reinforcing its pledge to ethical and inclusive business.

With a user base of 166.1 million people, including 73.4 million data subscribers, Airtel Africa is fast becoming a cornerstone of Africa’s digital evolution. The company says sustainability is no longer a side initiative, but a business-wide mandate.