By Adenike Pedro
Why Ghana Surpasses Nigeria in Telecoms Q1 Profits
In the first half of 2025, MTN Ghana’s profit after tax exceeded that of MTN Nigeria by $56 million, reflecting a strong financial performance. According to MTN Ghana CEO Stephen Blewett’s LinkedIn post, the company achieved a profit after tax of ₵3.6 billion ($327 million), which is 20% higher than Nigeria’s ₦414.9 billion ($271 million) during the same period. While Ghana’s economy has shown recovery signs, characterized by cedi stability, lower inflation, and technology-friendly reforms, Nigeria continues to face economic challenges, with a depreciating naira that has negatively impacted corporate earnings in USD terms.
This economic disparity has allowed MTN Ghana to outpace its West African neighbor in profit, despite Nigeria having a subscriber base nearly three times larger. MTN Ghana’s 30.2 million subscribers generated significantly more value per user compared to MTN Nigeria’s 84.7 million. The increase in Ghana’s fintech presence has contributed to reduced operational costs and a 31% rise in service revenue, reaching ₵8.1 billion, further highlighting the contrasting performance of the two markets.
NCC Tightens Sanctions on Communications Operation Violation
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed intentions to implement more stringent non-monetary penalties for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) operators that fail to adhere to regulatory standards. This decision follows ongoing violations and consistently poor service delivery. Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, voiced his concerns about the ineffectiveness of financial penalties, noting that some operators continue to disregard regulations while routinely allocating budgets for fines.
Maida emphasized that these actions compromise the quality of telecommunications services and threaten Nigeria’s growing digital economy. In light of this, the Commission is set to revise its Enforcement Processes Regulations (EPR) from 2019, putting forward five significant reforms designed to enhance compliance. One major proposal involves implementing administrative sanctions, including the suspension of licensing privileges, instead of relying solely on financial penalties. Additionally, the reforms will seek to widen the scope of liabilities for violations such as call masking, SIM boxing, and interconnection fraud. Other suggestions include clarifying fine structures and introducing asymmetric sanctions, where penalties are adjusted based on the operator’s size and capacity, ensuring fairness and promoting industry sustainability.
Airtel Africa in Multi-year, Multimillion Dollars Collaboration with Xtelify
In a strategic move to accelerate its digital evolution, Airtel Africa has announced a multi-year, multi-million-dollar partnership with Xtelify, the digital technology arm of Airtel India. This collaboration aims to reshape Airtel Africa’s customer engagement, field operations, and AI-driven insights across its 14 operational markets on the continent. At the core of this transformation is Xtelify’s next-generation software suite, designed to streamline telecom operations from end-to-end, eliminate operational complexity, and unlock intelligent, real-time customer experiences.
With the rollout of key solutions such as the Xtelify Data Engine, Xtelify Work, and Xtelify IQ, Airtel Africa is poised to enhance service quality, reduce customer churn, and increase Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). By leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, the partnership seeks to provide actionable insights that facilitate data-driven decision-making, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and engagement. This agreement marks a significant step in Airtel Africa’s commitment to digitization, setting the stage for a heightened competitive edge in the telecommunications market.
MTN Makes a Historic Growth in Company’s Record
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has made history by becoming the first company listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) to achieve a market capitalization of ₦10 trillion ($6.6 billion). This milestone, marked by MTN’s share price closing at ₦480 on Sunday, reflects an ₦8 gain or a 1.69% increase for the day. The achievement highlights the significant investor confidence in MTN’s operational performance and strategic execution amidst the challenging macroeconomic landscape in Nigeria, showcasing the telecommunications giant’s resilience and adaptability.
The company’s stock has seen remarkable growth, soaring 136.00% year-to-date, 148.42% over the past year, and an impressive 300.34% over the last five years. Recent trading momentum has been particularly strong, with shares climbing 32.03% in the past month and 88.80% in the last quarter. This surge can be attributed to robust financial results, substantial network investments, and renewed market optimism, as reflected in the trading dynamics characterized by heightened demand and favorable buy and sell prices. MTN’s achievement not only marks a significant moment for the company but also signals a positive outlook for the Nigerian capital market as a whole.
