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Airtel Africa Plc, the pan-African telecommunications provider majority-owned by Indian billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, is stepping up its investments in partnerships, artificial intelligence, and data centers as it looks to expand the continent’s digital economy.
CEO Sunil Taldar said the next phase of Africa’s telecom growth will not be defined merely by connectivity, but by how people use that access to create value. Speaking at the Mobile World Congress Africa 2025 (MWC25) in Kigali, Taldar described the coming years as a defining moment for the continent.
“Africa’s digital decade has begun,” Taldar said. “The continent that once leapfrogged into mobile telephony is ready to do it again—this time into a world where every byte of data drives productivity and every connection creates opportunity.”
Partnerships will shape Africa’s next leap
Taldar emphasized that the transformation will rely heavily on collaboration across multiple fronts—operators, regulators, investors, and innovators. “This requires partnership—between operators who co-build, technology manufacturers who equip, regulators who enable, investors who believe, and young Africans who create,” he said. “Together we can build a continent where data is processed locally, talent is nurtured nationally, and innovation scales globally.”
He noted that artificial intelligence will play a crucial role in improving network efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and securing mobile transactions. Airtel Africa, he added, is already deploying AI tools for spam detection, mobile money fraud prevention, and energy optimization at its sites.
The company is also investing in large-scale data centers in Nigeria and Kenya to support enterprises, governments, and cloud service providers, part of a broader strategy to ensure Africa’s data is stored and processed within the continent.
Kagame calls for unified digital policies
In his opening address at MWC25 Kigali, Rwandan President Paul Kagame praised Africa’s rapid shift from limited connectivity to a mobile-driven economy.
“While the challenges that Africa faces are significant, they also offer great growth potential if we collaborate,” Kagame said. “Governments, the private sector and other partners must harmonize policies to create an environment that fosters innovation. The future we must build is an Africa that is bold, connected, and competitive.”
Mittal’s Airtel strengthens Africa’s digital backbone
Airtel Africa, which is dual-listed in London and Lagos, operates across 14 countries and serves more than 150 million subscribers. Its fiber subsidiary, Airtel Telesonic, connects terrestrial and subsea networks to global internet routes, reinforcing its infrastructure base.
Mittal, whose Bharti Enterprises also controls India’s Bharti Airtel Ltd. and satellite operator OneWeb, has a net worth of more than $29 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
In September, Airtel Africa broke ground on a 44-megawatt Nxtra data center in Kenya’s Tatu City to serve regional and global clients. The company’s first-quarter revenue rose 24.9 percent in constant currency to $1.42 billion, supported by strong growth in mobile data and Airtel Money.
