Africa’s largest mobile operator, MTN saw a 27 percent surge in year-end profit – despite an economically challenging domestic market – which was driven by subscriber base growth across other African countries, particularly Nigeria.

The South African telecom giant recorded an overall growth of 9.8 percent to 207.8 million, with Nigeria – its biggest market – contributing the largest share of subscribers, drawing a 20 percent addition. Other significant supporters included Ghana and Ivory Coast, Business Day reported.

“While the South African business delivered disappointing results, the executive team is focused on helping this business deliver an improved overall performance in the year ahead,” read an official statement.

MTN, along with other operators such as Globacom and Airtel, have been under immense pressure to better service delivery in Nigeria, with several warnings and queries from industry regulators. The latest was the slamming of a combined $4 million fine for the month of January.

Total sales for MTN however rose 12 percent to $12.7 billion, pushing revenue up by 3.1 percent.