Niger shuts Airtel telecom offices over unpaid taxes

Niger on Saturday ordered the closure of the offices of the country’s biggest telecoms operator Airtel, a subsidiary of India’s Bharti Airtel group, for unpaid taxes of 107 million dollars.

Airtel has been present in Niger since 2001 and holds a 51% market share, according to the national telecoms regulator.

“The tax people sealed our headquarters and we were forced to leave the premises,” an Airtel employee told AFP in the capital Niamey.

Airtel had a Friday deadline to pay 15 million euros in fines. The company was slapped with tax arrears and a fine totalling 94 million euros, according to the Tamtam info News website.

Neither the company nor the tax authorities were immediately available for comment.

Three other firms have also been hit by tax fines – Orange Niger, a subsidiary of the French firm; the public Niger telecoms and Moov Niger, a subsidiary of Morocco’s Maroc Telecoms.

There are around 7.7 million cellphone subscribers in Niger, which has a population of 19 million.

On November 30, the offices of Orange Niger were closed by tax authorities seeking 33 million euros in arrears.

Read more on:    niger  |  west africa

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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