MTN Group Achieves 25% Revenue Growth with Strong Performance in Nigeria and Ghana
MTN Group has announced a robust operational and financial performance for the 2025 financial year, with service revenue surging by nearly 25 per cent to reach R218 billion. This significant growth marks the culmination of the company's Ambition 2025 strategy, which concluded successfully with notable commercial outcomes primarily driven by its operations in Nigeria and Ghana.
Subscriber Base Expands to Over 307 Million
The telecommunications giant disclosed that its total customer base increased to more than 307 million across 16 markets as of December 31, 2025. This includes 172 million data users and 70 million Mobile Money customers, highlighting the company's expanding digital footprint. Sustained investments of approximately R38 billion supported this growth, enabling MTN to enhance the capacity, coverage, and quality of its network infrastructure and digital platforms.
Data and Fintech Services Show Strong Momentum
Data traffic across MTN's network experienced a substantial increase of 27 per cent during the year, while the average monthly data consumption per user rose to 12.5GB, up from 10.8GB previously. In the fintech sector, MTN expanded its ecosystem, with total transaction volumes growing by 15 per cent to exceed 23 billion transactions. The value of these transactions surpassed $500 billion in 2025, underscoring the company's deepening involvement in digital financial services.
Regional Performance Highlights
In terms of unit performance, MTN Nigeria recorded an impressive 54.9 per cent increase in service revenue, while MTN Ghana posted a 35.9 per cent rise. MTN South Africa demonstrated operational resilience in a mature market environment, achieving a two per cent growth in service revenue. These results reflect the diverse strengths of MTN's operations across different regions.
Financial Recovery and Shareholder Returns
Basic earnings per share returned to profit in 2025 after a loss in 2024, with adjusted headline earnings per share increasing by 67 per cent. MTN's board declared a dividend of 500 cents per share for the year, up from 345 cents in 2024 and significantly above the minimum dividend guidance of 370 cents previously communicated to investors. Additionally, the company introduced an enhanced shareholder remuneration framework, including a R6 billion share buyback programme aimed at improving shareholder value.
Recall that MTN Nigeria earlier reported a swing into profit after tax of N1.1 trillion in 2025, compared to a N400.4 billion loss recorded in 2024, reflecting a recovery in operating conditions and improved cost management. This turnaround further emphasizes the positive impact of strategic initiatives and market conditions on the group's overall performance.
