Airtel Africa Constrains Emissions Amid Rapid Expansion
Airtel Africa is improving and expanding its telecoms and fintech infrastructure across 14 sub-Saharan markets while simultaneously maintaining its current environmental footprint.
Operating in regions with significant energy constraints, Airtel Africa treats sustainability as a core operational discipline rather than a standalone compliance requirement.
Due to limited or absent national grid infrastructure, Airtel Africa has often had to rely on diesel generators to ensure network uptime.
However, in 2025/26, Airtel Africa converted 390 off-grid sites to on-grid power, increasing its grid-connected sites to over 21,500 out of more than 40,300 assets.
These upgrades, including 176 new lithium-ion batteries and improved cooling systems, reduced diesel consumption by 9.1 million litres over the past year.
This resulted in the company’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions reaching 136,133 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent, representing only a 1.6% year-on-year increase.
This is a significant slowdown from the 4.3% emissions growth in 2024/25 despite the expansion of its network.
Emissions intensity decreased by 20% from the 2022 baseline, bringing the company closer to its target of a 62% reduction by 2032.
“Across Africa, access to connectivity, financial services and digital education is increasingly essential to economic opportunity,” says Sunil Taldar, CEO of Airtel Africa.
“Sustainability remains embedded in how we operate and grow our business. By improving energy efficiency and reducing reliance on diesel, we’re strengthening operational resilience while supporting long-term sustainable growth.”
Supply chain interventions and the circular economy
Airtel Africa identified Scope 3 emissions as a major challenge, accounting for about 85% of its African greenhouse gas footprint.
Upstream leased assets account for 79% of these Scope 3 emissions.
To address this, Airtel Africa has strengthened contractor governance and added environmental requirements to contracts with high-risk vendors.
As a member of the Joint Alliance for CSR (JAC), Airtel Africa completed five supplier audits this year and closed 66% of outstanding corrective action plans to support ethical mining and mineral sourcing.
At the same time, Airtel Africa has established local circular economy practices.
Through a material take-back programme with OEMs such as Nokia, Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson, 532 tonnes of electronic network waste were recovered, recycled or repurposed, ensuring no e-waste was sent to landfill.
Overall, the company achieved a 94% circularity rate for the waste generated.
Commercial growth with a purpose
Airtel Africa integrates ESG performance metrics into executive compensation as part of its sustainability governance model.
This accountability increased the female workforce ratio to 29.9% across the Group and women’s representation on the Board rose to 36.3%.
The commercial strategy uses digital and financial inclusion to drive socioeconomic progress.
“From a Board perspective, there is a strong and consistent focus on ensuring that sustainability remains fully embedded in how the business operates and grows,” says Annika Poutiainen, Board Member and Airtel Africa's sustainability champion.
“The Board, supported through its committees, regularly reviews progress against key priorities and maintains oversight of how the business manages evolving risks, including those related to climate.
“This provides assurance that sustainability is not treated as a separate agenda but as an integral part of decision-making and long-term value creation.
“Operating across diverse environments brings challenges, particularly in relation to energy and resource use. The company continues to strengthen its approach, working to balance expansion with careful stewardship.”
Airtel Money’s subscriber base grew by 21.3% to over 54 million active users processing about $196 billion in transactions.
Women, meanwhile, make up 44.1% of the mobile money customer base supporting financial independence in historically underbanked rural and semi-urban communities.
