As Nigeria intensifies efforts to strengthen non-oil revenue generation and improve tax collection under its fiscal reform agenda, telecommunications giant MTN Nigeria has emerged as one of the country’s biggest corporate taxpayers, remitting N878.7bn in taxes, levies, and duties in the 2025 financial year.
The figure, disclosed in the company’s 2025 Sustainability Report, represents a 15 per cent increase from the N764bn paid in 2024 and a significant rise from the N543.9bn remitted in 2023, bringing the cumulative increase over two years to about 62 per cent.
According to the report, the payments covered company income tax, value-added tax, spectrum fees, import duties, Nigerian Communications Commission levies, as well as contributions under the Rural and Urban Terrestrial Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme.
The sharp increase in remittances followed the company’s strong financial recovery from forex-induced losses recorded in previous years. MTN Nigeria posted a profit after tax of N1.11tn in 2025, while total revenue surged by 54.8 per cent to N5.20tn. Operating profit also climbed significantly to N2.08tn, up from N778.2bn recorded in the prior year.
In addition to direct tax contributions, MTN Nigeria deepened its participation in infrastructure development through the Federal Government’s Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme. Under the initiative, the company committed N202.8bn toward the reconstruction of the 110-kilometre Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
The report further revealed that the Rural and Urban Terrestrial Infrastructure Scheme reached 50 per cent completion in 2025 after the approval of an additional N23bn tax credit aimed at expanding fibre and telecommunications infrastructure to underserved communities across the country.
MTN Nigeria also strengthened its local economic impact, with 62 per cent of its procurement spending directed to Nigerian suppliers in 2025, up from 59.6 per cent in the previous year. The company said the move aligns with the Federal Government’s local-content policy and supports sectors such as civil construction, logistics, software services, and power infrastructure.
Operationally, the telecommunications firm expanded its footprint to 2,087 active base stations nationwide, while active mobile subscribers rose to 85.4 million by the third quarter of 2025. Active data users also increased to 51.1 million, supported by smartphone penetration of 65.1 per cent.
During the year, MTN Nigeria renewed its 800MHz spectrum licence for another 10 years, extending its validity to December 2034.
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