Airtel Africa Plc Saves 9.1m Litres Of Diesel, Reaffirms Commitment To Responsible Business Growth 

By Celestine Okorie, Bureau Chief, Southern Africa

A leading provider of telecommunications and mobile  money services across 14 African countries, Airtel Africa saved 9.1m litres of diesel during financial year2025/26 as part of efforts to drive responsible growth by minimising the environmental impact of its operations.

This was achieved by reducing reliance on diesel and increasing use of lower-carbon  energy sources, including the conversion of 390 infrastructure sites to on-grid power  during the year, thus improving efficiency and reducing emissions. 

Airtel Africa CEO, Sunil Taldar, highlighted this achievement during a media roundtable  held in Lusaka, Zambia, where he presented the Company’s sustainability scorecard and  progress towards building a more sustainable, inclusive and connected Africa. 

Other initiatives to reduce Airtel Africa’s environmental impact during the year included  promoting the circular economy, recycling 94 per cent of total waste generated. These form part  of Airtel Africa’s broader sustainability strategy, which seeks to create long-term value by  balancing business growth with environmental stewardship, digital inclusion and socio economic development.

Mr. Taldar emphasised that responsible growth remained central to Airtel Africa’s business  strategy and was reflected in the company’s ability to extend services and opportunities to  millions of people across the continent while advancing sustainability goals.

Airtel Africa’s  network now reaches 81.9 per cent of the population across its markets, enabling greater access to connectivity, information, education and economic opportunities for individuals and communities.

The company recorded progress in its efforts to advance financial inclusion. Airtel Money  now serves 54.1 million customers through a network of 2.4 million agents, making it one

of Africa’s largest digital financial services ecosystems. Notably, 44.1 per cent of Airtel Money

customers are women, demonstrating the platform’s growing role in empowering women through access to secure, affordable and convenient financial services. 

Beyond connectivity and financial inclusion, Airtel Africa, through its philanthropic arm the  Airtel Africa Foundation continued to drive meaningful change across communities in the

continent, investing US$6.2m in priority programmes in four strategic areas, namely

Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.

Through its partnership with UNICEF, 3,296 schools have been connected to free internet,

helping to bridge the digital divide and expand access to quality education reaching over

2 million learners and 38,868 teachers, while 64 zero-rated digital learning platforms

enabled more than 11 million learners to access free digital educational content.

Also, during the year, more than 30,000 young people received digital skills training, while

over 250 full undergraduate STEM scholarships were awarded through the Airtel Africa

Tech Fellowship programme, helping to prepare the next generation of African innovators

and technology leaders.