Deal Lab · Buyout model 1.0
Airtel Africa plc Buyout Model
A buyout of Airtel Africa plc on its published figures for fiscal 2026, in US dollars: revenue flat, the margin and the shares of revenue of that period, entry and exit at 10.0x EBITDA, exit after 5 years.
Returns
Internal rate of return
1.4%
Multiple of money
1.07x
Sponsor's equity
$16.5bn
Enterprise value
$31.6bn
Proceeds at exit
$17.6bn
Sources and Uses
| Uses | Amount |
|---|---|
| Equity price | $25.5bn |
| Borrowings refinanced | $2.2bn |
| Transaction costs | $632m |
| Financing fees | $232m |
| Minimum cash | $128m |
| Uses | $28.7bn |
| Sources | Amount |
|---|---|
| Senior loan | $8.7bn |
| Subordinated notes | $2.9bn |
| Cash of the company | $646m |
| Sponsor's equity | $16.5bn |
| Sources | $28.7bn |
Projection
| Closing | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $6.4bn | $6.4bn | $6.4bn | $6.4bn | $6.4bn | $6.4bn |
| EBITDA of the case | $3.2bn | $3.2bn | $3.2bn | $3.2bn | $3.2bn | $3.2bn |
| Cash cost of leases | $757m | $757m | $757m | $757m | $757m | $757m |
| Depreciation and amortisation | $1.0bn | $1.0bn | $1.0bn | $1.0bn | $1.0bn | |
| Capital expenditure | $953m | $953m | $953m | $953m | $953m | |
| Increase in working capital | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Interest | $927m | $900m | $871m | $841m | $809m | |
| Tax | $159m | $166m | $173m | $180m | $188m | |
| Cash available for debt service | $1.3bn | $1.3bn | $1.3bn | $1.3bn | $1.3bn |
Debt Schedule
| Closing | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior loan | $8.7bn | $8.3bn | $7.9bn | $7.5bn | $7.1bn | $6.6bn |
| Subordinated notes | $2.9bn | $2.9bn | $2.9bn | $2.9bn | $2.9bn | $2.9bn |
| Revolving facility | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Cash | $128m | $128m | $128m | $128m | $128m | $128m |
| Debt to EBITDA | 5.00x | 4.88x | 4.76x | 4.63x | 4.50x | 4.35x |
| EBITDA to interest | 3.41x | 3.51x | 3.63x | 3.76x | 3.91x |
Covenants and the Credit View
| Closing | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limit of debt to EBITDA | 6.50x | |||||
| Lease-adjusted debt to EBITDA | 5.00x | 4.88x | 4.76x | 4.63x | 4.50x | 4.35x |
| Band of debt to EBITDA | Highly leveraged | Aggressive | Aggressive | Aggressive | Aggressive | Aggressive |
Return Bridge
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Sponsor's equity | $16.5bn |
| EBITDA growth | $0 |
| Change of multiple | $0 |
| Net debt repaid | +$2.0bn |
| Non-controlling interests | $0 |
| Costs at closing | −$864m |
| Management and limited liability | $0 |
| Proceeds at exit | $17.6bn |
Sensitivity Tables
| Entry by exit | 8.00x | 9.00x | 10.0x | 11.0x | 12.0x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.00x | 2.7% | 7.6% | 11.7% | 15.3% | 18.5% |
| 9.00x | −3.1% | 1.8% | 5.9% | 9.5% | 12.6% |
| 10.0x | −7.2% | −2.5% | 1.4% | 4.8% | 7.8% |
| 11.0x | −10.5% | −6.0% | −2.2% | 1.1% | 4.0% |
| 12.0x | −13.2% | −8.8% | −5.1% | −1.9% | 0.9% |
| Debt by growth | −4.0% | −2.0% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 4.0% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.00x | −4.6% | −1.1% | 2.3% | 5.4% | 8.5% |
| 4.50x | −5.8% | −1.8% | 1.9% | 5.3% | 8.6% |
| 5.00x | −7.4% | −2.8% | 1.4% | 5.2% | 8.8% |
| 5.50x | −9.4% | −3.9% | 0.8% | 5.1% | 9.1% |
| 6.00x | −12.1% | −5.5% | 0.1% | 5.0% | 9.4% |
Solvers
Highest entry multiple for a return of 20.0%
2.68x
The target return
Revenue growth a year for a return of 20.0%
10.9%
The target return
Debt capacity at closing, times EBITDA
6.00x
The loan to value limit
Assumptions and Their Origins
| Group | Assumption | Value | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transaction | Entry multiple | 10.0x | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Transaction | Years to exit | 5 years | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Transaction | Transaction costs | 2.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Transaction | Financing fees | 2.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Transaction | Minimum cash, of revenue | 2.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Debt at closing, times EBITDA | 5.00x | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Debt at most, of the enterprise value | 60.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Senior loan, of the new debt | 75.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Senior loan repaid each year | 1.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Cash sweep | 100% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Revolving facility, times EBITDA | 1.00x | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Base rate | 3.9% | Policy rate of the United States, BIS central bank policy rates, 20 October 2026 |
| Financing | Senior loan spread | 3.5% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Subordinated notes spread | 6.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Revolving facility spread | 3.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Covenant headroom on debt to EBITDA | 30.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Financing | Minimum EBITDA to interest | 2.00x | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Operations | Revenue growth a year | 0.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Operations | EBITDA margin | 49.3% | EBITDA over revenue, fiscal 2026 |
| Operations | Cash cost of leases, of revenue | 11.8% | Cash cost of leases over revenue, fiscal 2026 |
| Operations | Depreciation and amortisation, of revenue | 16.3% | Depreciation and amortisation over revenue, fiscal 2026 |
| Operations | Capital expenditure, of revenue | 14.9% | Median capital expenditure over revenue, fiscal 2024 to 2026 |
| Operations | Working capital, of revenue | −6.3% | Working capital over revenue, end of the fiscal 2026 |
| Operations | Leases as debt | Yes | Leases as debt, the basis of the credit metrics |
| Operations | Share-based pay added back | No | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Taxes | Tax rate | 25.0% | Combined statutory rate of corporate income tax of the United Kingdom, OECD Corporate Tax Statistics, 2026 |
| Taxes | Interest deducted up to 30% of EBITDA | No | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Exit | Exit multiple | 10.0x | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Exit | Management share of the proceeds | 0.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
| Exit | Target return | 20.0% | Convention of buyout 1.0 |
Inputs and Their Documents
Published figures of fiscal 2026, each with the documents it comes from.
| Input | Value | Method | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted EBITDA | $3.2bn | Adjusted EBITDA of the company page | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Share-based pay | $0 | No share-based pay is reported | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| EBITDA after share-based pay | $3.2bn | Adjusted EBITDA less share-based pay | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | $1.0bn | Depreciation and amortisation of adjusted EBITDA | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Revenue | $6.4bn | Revenue of the base period | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Borrowings | $2.2bn | Total debt less lease liabilities | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Lease liabilities | $4.2bn | Lease liabilities | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Cash and short-term investments | $646m | Cash and short-term investments | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Non-controlling interests | $340m | Non-controlling interests | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Receivables | $193m | Receivables | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Payables | $612m | Payables | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Inventories | $16.0m | Inventories | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Payments of lease liabilities | $204m | Payments of lease liabilities | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Interest on lease liabilities | $553m est. | Interest on lease liabilities at the average rate of finance costs on total debt | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
| Capital expenditure | $753m | Capital expenditure of the latest fiscal year | Annual financial report 2026-03 |
Checks of the Model
- Sources equal uses
- The equity price is above nil
- The sponsor's equity is above nil
- Each balance of debt stays between nil and its amount at closing
- Cash is the cash of the year before and the cash flow of the year
- Cash stays at the minimum unless a shortfall is stated
- The 6 parts of the bridge add up to the proceeds less the sponsor's equity
- The cash flows at the internal rate of return have a present value of nil
Deal Lab computes arithmetic on published figures and on the assumptions of the user. It values no company, recommends no transaction and forecasts no result.