By Jide Ajia
As Nigeria intensifies efforts to expand non-oil revenue and improve tax collection under its fiscal reform agenda, corporate tax contributions from major private-sector operators are becoming increasingly critical to government financing.
Supporting that drive, MTN Nigeria paid N878.7bn in taxes, levies, and duties to federal and state authorities in the 2025 financial year, representing a 15 per cent increase from the previous year, according to the company’s recently released 2025 Sustainability Report.
The trajectory, according to a statement, shows that the company paid N543.9bn in taxes and levies in 2023 before the figure climbed to N764bn in 2024, representing a cumulative increase of about 62 per cent over two years.
The increase tracked the company’s recovery from forex-driven losses to a profit after tax of N1.11tn in 2025, while total revenue rose by 54.8 per cent to N5.20tn. Operating profit also increased to N2.08tn from N778.2bn.
The N878.7bn remitted to the government in 2025 covered company income tax, value-added tax, spectrum fees, import duties, Nigerian Communications Commission levies, and contributions under the Rural and Urban Terrestrial Infrastructure tax credit scheme.
The company also participated in the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, under which it committed N202.8bn towards the reconstruction of the 110-kilometre Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
According to the report, the Rural and Urban Terrestrial Infrastructure scheme reached 50 per cent completion in 2025 after securing approval for an additional N23bn tax credit aimed at expanding fibre and telecommunications infrastructure in underserved communities.
The report further highlighted the company’s growing domestic economic footprint, with 62 per cent of procurement spending directed to Nigerian suppliers in 2025, up from 59.6 per cent in the previous year.
MTN said the policy aligns with the Federal Government’s local-content objectives and supports sectors including civil construction, logistics, software services, and power infrastructure.
The company’s operational footprint expanded to 2,087 active base stations nationwide, while active mobile subscribers stood at 85.4 million by the third quarter of 2025. Active data users rose 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 to December 2034.
