MTN Group, Agility Arabia Revolutionize Telecom Procurement with Agile Model

MTN Group has successfully partnered with UAE-based consultancy Agility Arabia to deliver one of the telecom industry’s most ambitious Agile transformations in procurement to date. The initiative, rolled out across MTN’s Global Sourcing and Supply Chain (GSSC) division, has set a new benchmark in procurement agility, transparency, and operational effectiveness.

Operating across 16 African markets and serving over 291 million customers, MTN sought to address growing business complexity, reduce time to market, and unlock higher value from its procurement operations. Its GSSC division—responsible for sourcing, supply chain and vendor management across 17 operating companies—was identified as a critical lever for strategic transformation.

Agility Arabia was selected as the partner for this journey due to its pioneering work in Agile procurement, regional presence, and status as the UAE’s first Scrum.org Professional Training Network member. The collaboration focused on introducing a Lean Agile Procurement (LAP) framework that moved MTN away from traditional waterfall processes towards adaptive, iterative delivery.

The transformation included deep capability-building, live coaching, and restructuring of roles around Agile squads. Maturity was tracked using Agility Arabia’s proprietary 23-point Agile performance assessment. The initiative also included ongoing training for new joiners, weekly “Breakfast & Learn” sessions, and upskilling of the Scrum Master cohort.