According to its 2025 tax transparency report (TTR), MTN Group paid R61.11 billion in taxes to African governments in 2025. This was nearly 16% more than the R52.7 billion it paid across its
According to its 2025 tax transparency report (TTR), MTN Group paid R61.11 billion in taxes to African governments in 2025. This was nearly 16% more than the R52.7 billion it paid across its 16 markets (15 African) in 2024.
The leading telecom operator’s increase in tax payments comes amid a surge in its profits during the period. Compared to the R4.1 billion loss recorded in 2024, the group bounced back stronger, with a profit before tax of R47.7 billion.
In fact, its profit tax, being a levy calculated based on profit accumulated across the group, rose from R10.8 billion to R12.2 billion.
Also, total revenue for the period was R226.8 billion, a sharp rise from R188 billion in 2024, mostly attributed to data revenue’s performance in its Nigerian and Ghanaian markets.
About 52.3% of the tax amount was from the West and Central Africa (WECA) markets. The Southern and East Africa (SEA) region represented 19.87% of the total.
According to market-specific data, the group paid more in Ghana (R16.95 billion) than in any other market, representing 27.75%, followed by Nigeria (R10.52 billion), signifying a 17.22% share contribution. Uganda follows at R8 billion, Cote D’Ivoire with R6.5 billion, then South Africa at N4.81 billion.
Indirect taxes had the largest share with 32.2%, followed by corporate tax (10.4%) and operating license fees and levies (8.5%). Withholding taxes led next with 4.2%, followed by Payroll tax at 3.8%, then Dividends tax at 1.8%.
Also Read: MTN Nigeria to hold public inquiry on data depletion complaints by June 6.
Revenue-led Nigeria and tax-led GhanaMTN Nigeria is currently the group’s most profitable market with 28.9% contributing to service revenue in 2025. The market saw a significant turnaround with profit after tax of N1.1 trillion in 2025, a 377.9% surge from the ₦400.4 billion loss of 2024.
Total subscriber base ended at 87.3 million in 2025, more than any of the group’s markets, making MTN Nigeria a leader in the Nigerian telecoms industry and also in the group’s books.
However, the group paid more tax in Ghana despite earning less compared to Nigeria. The market’s net income climbed more than 50% in 2025, as profit after tax surged by 55.9% to $731 million (₵7.8 billion), and earnings per share (EPS) increased by 55.9%.
To delineate the difference in tax paid, we did a comparison in the local currencies of both countries.
Using the group’s 2025 average exchange rates of R1 @ approximately ₦84.45, and R1 @ ₵0.68, MTN Ghana’s R16.9 billion tax is ₵11.49 billion and ₦1.43 trillion. MTN Nigeria’s R10.5 billion is exchanged at ₵7.14 billion and ₦886.7 billion.
MTN – tax comparison in Nigeria and Ghana When measured in local currency, it shows that the group paid higher tax in Ghana than Nigeria.
Understanding the whysThe tax differences can be attributed to several reasons.
First, taxes are levied across countries based on government policies. Although Nigeria led in both revenue and profit, taxable income does not flow in the same direction.
For instance, Ghana’s tax regime, over time, captures more indirect taxes than corporate income tax. The country’s tax circles include VAT collected, regulatory levies, customs duties, telecom industry taxes and mobile money-related charges.
Ghana also imposes a significantly higher overall tax burden on its telecom operators. Ghana’s structural tax and VAT rates on the industry are stricter, requiring a larger percentage of MTN Ghana’s revenue.
Also, mobile money in Ghana continues to scale, growing by 35.7% to reach ₵6.0 billion and active users growing by 12.3% to 19.3 million in 2025. This, in turn, boosts its total tax contribution.
Secondly, a closer look shows that on a per-customer basis, MTN Ghana generates more profit per user than MTN Nigeria, which can significantly lead to the gap in tax levied.
In Rand terms (MTN reporting currency), Nigeria and Ghana contributed R13.03 billion and R11.47 billion, respectively, to the group’s profit. On profit per subscriber, Ghana led with R367.6 (₦31,087) and Nigeria with R149.3 (₦12,579).
MTN – Profit per customer in Ghana and Nigeria The group’s revenue per customer in Ghana is 2.47 times higher than that of Nigeria, revealing profitability in real terms and not just by size.
Lastly, exchange rate movements can impact tax contributions. In 2025, the Nigerian naira was volatile, while the Ghanaian cedi was more stable. Exchange rate movement is important as it determines how each market’s tax payment appears when compared to the group’s rand-calculating terms.
This article has made a careful attempt to analyse how face values of revenue and profit are not always the sole determinant of tax payments. It depends on exchange rate movements, country-specific policy and profitability on a per-subscriber basis.
