Bharti Airtel plans to raise its ownership stake in Airtel Africa to as much as 90% through a proposed $2.9 billion share swap, reinforcing its long-term commitment to African markets. Founder Sunil Bharti Mittal described Africa as a major growth frontier and called the company’s expansion into the continent a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” The move precedes a highly anticipated $2 billion initial public offering (IPO) for Airtel Africa’s mobile-money division, a unit valued at approximately $10 billion. As mobile-money transactions in the region reached $1.4 trillion in 2025, the group is positioning itself to capitalize on the continent’s fintech surge. Despite geopolitical tensions delaying the IPO timeline, the group’s 37% jump in adjusted EBITDA to $3.2 billion underscores the robust earnings visibility driving this multi-billion-dollar investment.
Nairametrics