Airtel Africa’s new AI-powered spam filter, first launched in Malawi in July, has identified over 8 million spam SMS messages in the country, paving the way for a wider rollout that has now blocked more than 205 million unwanted texts across the continent in six months.

The service, which provides free, automatic protection without requiring an app, alerts subscribers with a “SPAM Alert” warning on suspicious texts. 

It has since been activated in 13 of Airtel Africa’s 14 markets, including Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda.

This pan-African initiative has led to a 12% overall reduction in spam messages, with Nigeria experiencing a dramatic 84% decline. Market data reveals Kenya faced the highest spam volume with 68 million messages flagged, followed by Tanzania (47 million) and Zambia (33 million).

“The success in Malawi was the first proof of how AI can significantly enhance customer safety,” said Airtel Africa CEO Sunil Taldar. “As smartphone use grows, this solution is a critical part of our commitment to providing a safer network experience for all our customers across Africa.”

The Spam Alert system uses AI to analyze messages in real-time, assessing sender patterns and frequency to identify threats. The service will be launched soon in Seychelles, completing its rollout across Airtel Africa’s footprint.