Airtel Africa & MTN Boost Fintech & ESG in Sub-Saharan Africa

African telecommunications giants Airtel Africa and MTN are aggressively expanding their fintech services across sub-Saharan markets, integrating robust environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives into their overarching growth strategies. This dual focus aims to drive digital and financial inclusion while ensuring sustainable operations and delivering strong shareholder returns in a rapidly evolving regional economy.

Airtel Africa Scales Fintech with Strong ESG Focus

Airtel Africa is actively scaling its telecoms and fintech infrastructure across 14 sub-Saharan African markets, demonstrating a core commitment to sustainable growth by largely stabilizing its environmental impact. The company views sustainability as an integral component of its operations, particularly in regions where energy access is limited and historical reliance on diesel generators was necessary for network uptime.

In the 2025/26 period, Airtel Africa successfully transitioned 390 off-grid sites to grid power, significantly enhancing its network resilience. This brings the total number of grid-connected sites to over 21,500 out of more than 40,300 assets. These infrastructure upgrades, coupled with the strategic deployment of 176 lithium-ion batteries and advanced cooling technologies, resulted in a substantial reduction of 9.1 million litres in diesel usage over the year.

Consequently, the company’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions experienced a modest 1.6% year-on-year increase, marking a notable deceleration compared to the 4.3% rise recorded in the previous year, despite ongoing network expansion. Airtel Africa is also on track to achieve a significant 62% reduction in emissions intensity by 2032, having already reduced it by 20% against its 2022 baseline.

Sunil Taldar, CEO of Airtel Africa, emphasized that sustainability is deeply embedded in the company’s business operations. He stated that this approach strengthens operational resilience and supports long-term growth through improved energy efficiency and reduced reliance on diesel. The company is also proactively addressing Scope 3 emissions, which account for approximately 85% of its total greenhouse gas footprint, primarily originating from upstream leased assets.

Interventions for Scope 3 emissions include stricter contractor oversight, the implementation of environmental criteria for high-risk suppliers, and active participation in the Joint Alliance for CSR (JAC) for comprehensive supplier audits and ethical sourcing practices. Furthermore, Airtel Africa has advanced local circular economy initiatives, successfully recovering, recycling, or repurposing 532 tonnes of electronic network waste through a material take-back program involving OEM partners such as Nokia, Huawei, ZTE, and Ericsson. This achieved an impressive 94% circularity rate, with no e-waste directed to landfill.

The company integrates ESG performance indicators directly into executive remuneration, a move designed to align leadership incentives with sustainability goals. This commitment is also reflected in increased female representation within its workforce, reaching 29.9%, and on its Board, now at 36.3%. Commercially, Airtel Africa’s strategy actively drives socioeconomic development through digital and financial inclusion. Its Airtel Money active user base grew by 21.3% to exceed 54 million customers, processing approximately $196 billion in transactions. Notably, women constitute 44.1% of these users, significantly expanding financial independence in underserved populations.

MTN’s Ambition 2030 Prioritizes Digital and Fintech Growth

Parallel to Airtel Africa’s efforts, MTN is advancing its “Ambition 2030” strategy, which places significant emphasis on growth through its Connectivity, Fintech, and Digital Infrastructure segments. MTN’s objectives include expanding its data and fintech offerings, maintaining disciplined capital allocation, and implementing country-specific strategies tailored for digital adoption, home broadband, and enterprise growth.

The overarching goal for MTN is to deliver strong shareholder returns by capitalizing on the increasing demand for digital services across its African markets. Both telecom giants are demonstrating a clear strategic direction: leveraging the burgeoning digital economy while integrating responsible business practices for long-term value creation.