MTN group reaches 300 million subscribers across Africa

Leading telecommunications company, MTN Group, has achieved a major milestone of 300 million subscribers across its African markets. The company announced the achievement during its annual Ambassadors Appreciation Dinner held on Wednesday.

In a statement, MTN said the milestone represents the fulfilment of its Ambition 2025 strategic goal of serving 300 million customers. It described the achievement as proof of its commitment to digitally connecting Africans and deepening financial inclusion across the continent.

The event was attended by diplomats, senior officials, chief executives, and executive members from MTN’s various markets. MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and investment in support of Africa’s digital transformation.

“The time is now for Africa to take charge of its own socioeconomic progress. We need to look within for solutions and to develop our own communities,” he said.

Mupita noted that MTN’s growth and ability to sustain digital connectivity across the continent demonstrate Africa’s potential for self-driven development.

In its first-half 2025 financial report released in August, the company recorded a 4.7 percent increase in its subscriber base to 297.7 million. Two months later, it added over 3 million new subscribers across its 16 African markets, surpassing the 300 million mark.

The company said the milestone reaffirms its leadership position in Africa’s telecommunications industry and underscores its role in connecting homes and businesses across rural and urban areas.

Mupita commended MTN employees, known as MTNers, for their dedication and resilience, particularly through initiatives such as the 21 Days of Y’ello Care campaign aimed at promoting digital and financial inclusion in underserved communities.

“We celebrate our Y’ello Care employee volunteers and take inspiration from their can-do attitude. We also celebrate their dedication, which has led to the Group meeting a strategic milestone by serving more than 300 million customers in a mere three decades since the start of our first commercial operation in South Africa,” he said.

He also acknowledged the support of the diplomatic community and partners in driving innovation and development across the continent. Mupita emphasised that partnership remains central to achieving Agenda 2063, the African Union’s long-term vision of transforming Africa into a globally competitive and sustainable economy.

Agenda 2063, introduced in 2013, provides a roadmap for inclusive and sustainable growth through a series of ten-year implementation plans. MTN said its mission to digitally connect African homes aligns with this continental goal.

Beyond its subscriber milestone, MTN highlighted several achievements across its subsidiaries. MTN Nigeria received a Special Mention Award for the innovation and scale of its Y’ello Boxes and MoMo Market Storm initiatives, which promote financial and digital inclusion among women, traders, and small businesses.

MoMo, the company’s mobile money platform, won the inaugural Platform Business Award in recognition of its role in bridging financial access gaps through digital solutions. MTN Uganda won the SEA Region Award for expanding digital inclusion through computer labs and solar-powered health centres.

MTN Eswatini received top honours from the government for integrating MoMo into essential public services and promoting digital literacy, while MTN Cameroon earned the WECA Region Award for establishing community-driven digital centres that empower citizens to co-create local solutions and foster grassroots innovation.

In its half-year 2025 report, MTN Group reported a 22.4 percent increase in service revenue, driven mainly by strong performances in Nigeria and Ghana. Headline earnings per share rose by more than 350 percent to 645 cents, a significant recovery from a 256-cent loss recorded in the same period of 2024.

The company said the results demonstrate disciplined execution and operational resilience despite challenging macroeconomic conditions, including efforts to stabilise inflation and exchange rates in key markets.

Meanwhile, MTN Foundation has continued to drive growth in Nigeria’s creative industry through investments in comedy and other forms of entertainment.

The foundation, which recently hosted entertainers at the Nights of a Thousand Laughs in Abuja, said it has over the years funded museums, drama productions, comedy shows, and broader artists’ development programmes.

The Senior Manager, Sales and Trade Development for MTN, Abuja, Fasa Obazenu, said the foundation has helped performers sharpen their craft, reach wider audiences, and turn their passion into sustainable careers.

Obazenu added that beyond connectivity, MTN has made talent scouting a core part of its mission by searching for bright prospects across the country.

“Just like the slogan says, MTN everywhere you go. We look for talent everywhere we go. And the entertainment sector is one sector that has showcased growth over time. So, all along MTN has always been partnering with them to support them, to bring them to the level that they’re in. We have been part of that journey. We are part of that success,” he said.

“Like every other sector, we have a sponsorship with MTN Foundation, looking at museum centres, drama, comedy, and sponsorship of shows. We will support artists and the rest of them,” he added.

Earlier, Nigerian comedian Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, said comedy in Nigeria had evolved significantly over the years.

“Today, comedy feels polished,” he said, noting that in the early days, it was a street-level art form.

He urged Nigerians to focus on appreciating the art rather than the personalities behind it and hinted at an upcoming comedy event scheduled to take place in Abuja.