By Ayomide Otitoju
South Africa’s MTN Group said on Tuesday that its core earnings rose by 27.9 per cent in the first quarter, driven by strong performance in key markets including Nigeria and Ghana.
The telecom operator, Africa’s largest with more than 310 million subscribers across 16 countries, reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 27.6 billion rand ($1.67 billion) for the three months ended March 31, in constant currency terms.
MTN Nigeria earlier reported a profit after tax of N355.5 billion for Q1 2026, representing a 165.9 per cent increase year-on-year.
However, in its unaudited results, the company warned that full-year EBITDA margins could decline by 1.8 to 2.0 percentage points if diesel prices average N2,000 per litre in the second half of the year.
Chief Executive Officer Karl Toriola said the group continues to monitor operating conditions, including energy cost volatility and regulatory developments.
