MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has intensified its investment drive to strengthen digital infrastructure across the country, injecting a staggering ₦565.7 billion in capital expenditure in the first half of 2025 alone.
The telco giant disclosed this in its unaudited financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2025, filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).
This bold commitment reflects MTN’s resolve to support Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy by enhancing network capacity, coverage expansion, and customer experience.
The investment represents a massive 288.4% increase from the ₦145.6 billion deployed in the same period last year, signaling strong confidence in the Nigerian market despite macroeconomic headwinds.
The company said its ongoing investment programme is focused on expanding 4G coverage, capacity enhancement initiatives, fiber-to-the-home network rollout, and the development of its new data centre.
MTN disclosed that it deployed 240 additional 4G sites to expand coverage and launched the first phase of its US$240 million Dabengwa Tier 3 Data Centre in July 2025.
Speaking on the results, MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola said, “We are excited by the progress made in the first half of 2025, reflecting the successful execution of the strategic priorities we previously communicated to the market. In reinforcing this growth, we accelerated investment in our network to enhance capacity, coverage and quality of experience.”
Toriola also highlighted the company’s commitment to broader digital development, noting investments in skills development and startup acceleration. “As part of our efforts to build sustainable societies, we have committed N3 billion to support the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme – an initiative that aligns with our vision of driving inclusive growth through digital and financial inclusion.”
MTN’s robust infrastructure spend comes as the company continues to navigate currency volatility and inflationary pressures.
However, the telco delivered exceptional financial performance, with service revenue increasing by 54.6% to ₦2.4 trillion and EBITDA rising by 119.5% to ₦1.2 trillion, demonstrating the effectiveness of its investment strategy.
The company’s capital investment has been instrumental in driving user growth. MTN Nigeria added 3.8 million new mobile subscribers in the review period, bringing its total customer base to 84.7 million, with active data users reaching 51.0 million. The company’s fintech business also showed strong momentum with revenue growing by 71.8%.
Despite the elevated capital expenditure, MTN maintained a positive free cash flow of ₦409.8 billion, up 18.0% from the previous year. The company reported a profit after tax of ₦414.9 billion, marking a strong recovery from the loss of ₦519.1 billion recorded in the same period last year.
“Looking ahead, we expect to sustain strong operational and financial growth momentum in the second half of 2025, supported by a more stable macroeconomic and regulatory environment, continued demand for our services, the benefit of recent price adjustments and network investments,” said Toriola, reaffirming the company’s commitment to its investment strategy.
The CEO emphasized that infrastructure investments remain central to the company’s long-term vision: “As MTN Nigeria, we remain focused on executing on our growth strategy to deliver long-term value to our stakeholders.”
