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 N878.7 billion 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 just-released 2025 Sustainability Report.
Specifically, the company paid N543.9 billion in taxes and levies in 2023, before that figure climbed to N764 billion in 2024, a cumulative rise of roughly 62 per cent over two years. This tracks the company's recovery from deep forex-driven losses to a profit after tax of N1.11 trillion in 2025, with total revenue surging 54.8 per cent to N5.20 trillion and operating profit climbing to N2.08 trillion from N778.2 billion.
Breakdown of Tax Contributions
The N878.7 billion remitted to government in 2025 covered corporation tax, value-added tax, spectrum fees, import duties, NCC levies and contributions under the Rural and Urban Terrestrial Infrastructure (RUTI) tax credit scheme, an initiative with deep roots in MTN Nigeria's public-private partnership playbook. The company has long embraced such mechanisms, including participating in the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, under which it committed N202.8 billion towards reconstructing the 110-kilometre Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
In 2025, the RUTI scheme reached 50 per cent completion after securing approval for an additional N23 billion tax credit aimed at expanding fibre and telecoms infrastructure in underserved communities. This model, the company argues, supports infrastructure development without requiring direct public expenditure.
Local Procurement and Operational Growth
The report also 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 a year earlier. MTN said the policy aligned with the Federal Government's local-content objectives and supported 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.
Spectrum Licence Renewal
During the year, MTN Nigeria renewed its 800MHz spectrum licence for another 10 years to December 2034 and secured regulatory approval to lease additional spectrum from T2 Mobile, formerly 9Mobile, across 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
