Airtel Africa has appointed Publicis Groupe Africa as its integrated marketing partner across 12 of its key markets on the continent, in a move aimed at enhancing the telecom provider’s brand presence through data-driven and creative storytelling.

The mandate spans Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Niger, Chad, Gabon, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Madagascar. Airtel Africa confirmed that discussions are still ongoing for additional markets.

The collaboration brings together Publicis Groupe Africa and its affiliate agency, The Partnership Africa, based in Nairobi.

The alliance will harness strategic planning, creativity, media, digital expertise, and data analytics to deepen Airtel’s engagement with its diverse customer base and reinforce its long-term brand strategy.

Commenting on the development, Koo Govender, CEO of Publicis Groupe Africa, described the win as “a testament to truly borderless, collaborative, and future-forward marketing across the continent,” adding that the agency looks forward to building a strong partnership with Airtel Africa.

Sandeep Madan, Co-founder and CEO of The Partnership Africa, described the pitch as one of the most thoughtful he had experienced in his career.

In a post on LinkedIn, Madan praised the extensive effort and collaboration across multiple Publicis teams, adding that the win held personal meaning for those who first launched the Airtel brand across 17 countries over a decade ago.

Despite the major regional win, industry sources have disclosed that the Nigerian market is currently not part of the Publicis mandate. Insiders at Publicis Nigeria confirmed that Nigeria was excluded from the pitch win, despite being Airtel’s largest and most profitable market on the continent. As of 2024, Airtel Nigeria accounted for 57.7 million subscribers and generated $738 million in revenue nearly half of the group’s African business.

Airtel Africa is believed to be treating Nigeria as a standalone market due to its strategic importance. However, speculation within the industry suggests that a shift may be imminent,as indicated in Publicis Africa’s statements that discussions are on- going about other markets not presently captured in this win. with expectations that the telecom company may soon re-engage Insight Redefini, a member of the Publicis network, which was briefly hired to work on the telecom brand but had to few weeks ago cautiously and consciously resigned it’s engagement with Airtel Nigeria’s businness over its considered businness strategy and integrity.

Observers say it would be impossible for Publicis Groupe Africa to overlook such a critical market like Nigeria while managing Airtel’s presence elsewhere on the continent with low market shares and margins. Many believe the network will aim to consolidate the brand’s marketing efforts across Africa, especially as competition intensifies in Nigeria’s telecom sector.

Airtel Africa currently operates in 14 countries in Africa with a total customer base of over 163 million. The new marketing partnership marks a renewed focus on delivering unified brand messaging and enhancing customer connection across the continent.