Airtel Africa to pay interim dividend of ₦41.77 per share on Dec 11

Airtel Africa has declared that it will pay an interim dividend for H1 ’27 (April to September 2026) on December 11, 2026, to shareholders registered on the company’s books as of the close of business on November 13, 2026. This follows an announcement the company filed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX).

In its financial report for H1 2027, Airtel Africa declared an interim dividend of 3.1 cents ($0.031) per ordinary share for shareholders, which translates to approx. ₦41.77 based on an exchange rate of $1 to ₦1,347.44. 

Also read: Airtel Nigeria expands 5G coverage with over 1,000 new sites deployed in 2026 – CEO.

While outlining guidelines and arrangements for shareholders who hold their shares on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Airtel Africa noted that the default dividend payments for these investors will be processed in Nigerian naira, with an option to receive payments in U.S. dollars. 

The operator stressed that the qualification date for NGX investors is set for November 12, 2026. This means that to be eligible for the dividend payout, Nigerian shareholders must ensure that their names are officially captured on the company’s register of members by the close of business on November 12, 2026. 

For shareholders on the NGX who prefer receiving their dividend in U.S. dollars, the operator has directed them to submit their election forms to Coronation Registrars Limited or through their online portal by November 23, 2026. It added that unelected accounts will automatically receive their dividend distribution in naira.

In its explanation of the conversion rate benchmark, Airtel Africa mentioned that the rates were set against prevailing exchange rates available on October 30, 2026. With this, the company fixed the payout rate at ₦1,347.44/$1 and £0.7464/$1.  

The latest dividend guideline comes in light of the company’s decision to embark on a new share buyback program, where Airtel aims to buy and cancel up to 12 million of its ordinary shares by December 22, 2026. In this framework, the shares that are bought back will be cancelled instead of being held for future use.

In its half-year ended September 2026, the group declared that its profit after tax for the period climbed 20.5% to $452 million from $376 million recorded in the same period of the previous year. Operating profit also expanded significantly by 34.2% to $1.286 billion.

Airtel Africa’s total customer base grew 11.6%, reaching 193.9 million customers, with a 15% growth in the data customer base to 89.9 million.

Airtel’s dividend for LSE investors 

Aside from the Nigerian shareholders, Airtel also announced the modalities for international shareholders.

For investors trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), dividend payments will default to U.S. dollars unless such a shareholder wishes to receive funds in British pounds. The group noted that LSE shareholders who wish to modify their payout currency must complete and submit a currency election form to Computershare Investor Services plc by November 23, 2026. 

Similar to guidelines for Nigerian shareholders, Airtel noted that failure by intentional investors to indicate a preference before the deadline will automatically default their payout to U.S. dollars. The last date to trade shares on the LSE to qualify for the dividend is November 11, 2026. 

In its own filing, MTN Nigeria paid an interim dividend of ₦26 per share to shareholders on September 7, 2026. The payout was for shareholders who held the stock by the August 20, 2026, record date. 

For the period, the company paid a total of approx. ₦545.89 billion to its shareholders. 

MTN Group Limited holds the majority stake in MTN Nigeria, owning roughly 73% to 75% of the company. The remaining shares are distributed among over 203,000 shareholders, who mainly comprise Nigerians who have an indirect stake.