Category: News

The report highlights significant progress made during the 2024/25 period in bridging the digital divide, expanding financial inclusion, and empowering underserved communities through strategic investments.

As the company continues to build on its corporate purpose of transforming lives by extending access to essential digital services, it has made substantial strides in reaching key sustainability goals.

Airtel Africa’s Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Taldar, remarked that the company’s accomplishments, such as connecting over 2,000 schools through its partnership with UNICEF and reaching 44.6 million Airtel Money customers with near-gender parity, demonstrate how technology can foster gender equality and drive economic growth.

“At Airtel Africa, we are not only expanding networks; we’re building bridges to education, financial security, and sustainable growth for Africa’s next generation,” Taldar said.

In the realm of connectivity, Airtel Africa increased its population coverage to 81.2% across its 14 markets, up from 80.4% in 2023/24. The company has also made significant investments in its infrastructure, with over 36,000 4G sites, including more than 15,000 in rural areas.

With an investment of $670 million in network expansion and modernization, Airtel Africa is driving economic opportunity and improving access to essential services like voice, data, and mobile money.

The company’s commitment to addressing financial inclusion and gender inequality is also evident in its growth in both data and mobile money services. Airtel Africa saw a 14.1% increase in data customers, bringing the total to 73.4 million, while Airtel Money customer numbers grew by 17.3%, reaching 44.6 million.

Notably, 44.2% of Airtel Money customers are women, reflecting a 6.2% increase from the previous year. Additionally, the company expanded its agent network by 23.4%, with 1.7 million Airtel Money agents now supporting financial transactions across its markets. The workforce diversity also showed improvement, with 29.2% of employees being women, up from 28.3% in 2023/24.

Airtel Africa is also making strides in education and employment opportunities. By the end of the reporting period, the company had connected 2,176 schools to the internet free of charge, a significant increase from the 1,201 schools connected in 2023/24.

This initiative provides young people with the tools and resources to unlock their potential, while the expanding agent network continues to create employment and entrepreneurial opportunities across the region.

On the environmental front, Airtel Africa is committed to reducing its operational impact. The company converted 500 off-grid sites to on-grid power, reducing its reliance on diesel generators.

Additionally, it recycled 93% of its total waste, a 3% improvement over the previous year. These efforts are part of Airtel Africa’s broader strategy to invest in renewable energy solutions and responsible waste management practices.

The Sustainability Report 2025 adheres to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and GSMA telecommunications industry standards, ensuring transparency and accountability in the company’s sustainability efforts.

Airtel Africa’s integrated services provide mobile voice and data services as well as mobile money services to over 156 million customers across sub-Saharan Africa. The company remains focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences and increasing digital and financial inclusion to transform lives across the continent.

The announcement was made on June 16 by the Minister of State for Local Government, Marie Solange Kayisire, while addressing the Senate’s Committee on Social Affairs and Human Rights.

The state minister revealed that, of Rwanda’s 60 islands, only 14 are currently inhabited. Following the planned relocations, only three islands, Nkombo, Bugarura, and Birwa, will remain settled.

“These relocations are necessary. The geography of these islands poses serious risks to residents, and delivering services like clean water, electricity, and healthcare is often more expensive than resettlement itself,” Kayisire explained.

The relocation will affect more than 4,600 households, impacting over 25,000 people.

The islands earmarked for resettlement include Mwegerera and Mukira in Musanze District; Munanira and Bigwa in Burera; Sharita and Mazane in Bugesera; Gihaya in Rusizi; and Mushungo, Muzira, Kirehe, Ruzi, and Tereri in Nyamasheke District.

In Musanze’s Mwegerera and Mukira islands, 38 families rely on boats to ferry their children to schools on the mainland, while in Bigwa, 78 families live without stable solar power and basic infrastructure.

Kayisire said the relocation process has already begun in some areas. For instance, 26 families have started moving from Munanira, with costs estimated at Rwf127.6 million. In Sharita, 212 families were previously relocated under government IDP programmes, with 84 families still awaiting relocation. The district requires Rwf2.5 billion to complete the process.

Lawmakers welcomed the plan but called for fair compensation and detailed demographic planning.

“We need to know the numbers of women, children, and elders involved so we can design appropriate support,” said Senator Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu.

Kayisire emphasised that relocated families are being integrated into government social protection programmes like Girinka and income-generating initiatives.

“We are not only offering safer environments but ensuring long-term support and resilience for these communities,” she said.

The Trump Organization said it will launch a mobile-phone service called Trump Mobile and plans to offer a U.S.-built smartphone later this summer, looking to take on the likes of Apple and Samsung.

“President Trump has targeted phone makers in his tariff push, threatening extra levies on Apple if it didn’t shift to domestic production. No major smartphone manufacturer currently makes its products in the U.S., as the displays, processors and cameras they use are mainly sourced from Asia,” reported The Wall Street Journal on Monday about the move.

The United States doesn’t have advanced manufacturing facilities akin to those in China or even India and Vietnam, where electronics assembly has expanded in recent years, nor does it have a mass of skilled laborers trained to do the required work, it noted.

The Trump Organization said the mobile service would work with all three major wireless carriers. It would rely on resale deals, known as mobile virtual network operator agreements, in which the carriers sell excess capacity on its networks and gain customers without having to bear the costs of marketing to them or signing them up.

The Trump Organization said customers would be able to use the new service using their existing phones, or purchase its T1 Phone beginning in August. They described it as a “sleek, gold smartphone” designed and built in the United States.

The announcement was made late Monday by the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC), the country’s media regulator.

According to HAAC, the decision follows “repeated failings” by both outlets, which allegedly aired biased and factually incorrect content that “undermines the stability of republican institutions and the country’s image.”

While the authority did not cite specific broadcasts, it stated that the measure was necessary to counter disinformation and interference, emphasising that freedom of the press “cannot be synonymous with disinformation.”

The suspension comes amid mounting political tensions in the West African nation, where President Faure Gnassingbé has faced growing opposition following constitutional changes approved in May.

The changes created a new position, President of the Council of Ministers, held by Gnassingbé with no term limits, a move critics have labelled a “constitutional coup” aimed at extending his rule indefinitely.

RFI and France 24 have been reporting on protests organised by opposition parties and civil society groups in response to the controversial reforms.

In a joint statement, the two broadcasters said they were “surprised” by the decision and reaffirmed their “unwavering commitment to the ethical principles of journalism,” expressing readiness to engage with Togolese authorities to clarify any concerns.

Since 2022, public demonstrations have been officially banned in Togo, following a deadly explosion at a market in Lomé. However, political tensions have continued to simmer, with critics accusing the government of stifling dissent.