MTN Nigeria reports strong performance after listing

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc have recently released its unaudited result for the six months ended June 30 and announced an interim dividend of N2.95 per share to its shareholders.

The company’s unaudited result released by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) showed that the N2.95 interim dividend would be for eligible shareholders on Aug.16.

The dividend is payable to shareholders whose names appear on the company’s register at the close of business on Aug. 8, while the register closes from Aug. 9 to Aug.13.

The company, during the period under review, posted a revenue of N566.95 billion against N505.67 billion achieved in the comparative period of 2018, an increase of 12.12 per cent.

Its operating profit rose by 39.49 per cent to N190.40 billion in contrast to N130. 50 billion recorded in 2018.

Profit before tax stood at N149. 79 billion compared with N108.35 billion in 2018, representing a growth of 38.25 per cent.

Also, the profit after tax appreciated by 34.80 per cent to N98.93 billion against N73.39 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2018.

MTN Nigeria Communications on May 16 achieved a milestone with the listing of 20.35 billion shares at N90 per share at the nation’s bourse.

MTN Nigeria chief executive officer, Ferdi Moolman, says: “In the first half of 2019, we sustained a solid performance, delivering double-digit growth in service revenue, underpinned by growth in voice and data revenue.

“We made significant network investments to improve network quality and expand our 4G coverage. Our recent work to revamp our data prices and accelerate our 4G network has put us in a strong competitive position to offer more value to our customers, supporting data and voice revenue growth which will ultimately strengthen our business.”

Moolman mentions the significance of the company’s listing in May on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Moolman added that the company had secured a super-agent licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria “which will enable us to build an agent network and accelerate the growth of our fintech business.”

Fintech revenue increased by 21.2%, according to the results.

“Our fintech business continued to gain momentum with 21.2% growth in revenue year-on-year. The super-agent licence will allow us to leverage our established distribution channels to offer a wide range of mobile financial services. We will continue to work towards obtaining a payment service banking licence that we applied for in late 2018. Digital revenue continued to be impacted by the optimisation of value-added services.

“However, our focus is to build a sustainable base of active digital users in order to boost revenue growth. Our enterprise business also delivered satisfactory results, with revenue increasing by 31.3%, to contribute 11.9% to service revenue,” the company says