MTN Group and Agility Arabia transform procurement with groundbreaking agile operating model
A Region-Spanning Transformation Rooted in Agile Principles
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.
Key Results in Less Than 6 Months
The phased rollout, beginning in Q1 2023, delivered remarkable outcomes within six months:
Strategic RFP timelines reduced by up to 55%, resulting in significant annual savings
84% of GSSC staff were actively participating in Agile projects
Agile Net Promoter Score (NPS) doubled within three months
13 high-performing Agile teams became self-managing and mature in LAP delivery
80%+ of employees reported strong confidence in the new framework
Anonymous surveys showed 74% felt it helped them do their jobs better
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.
Leadership Perspective
Speaking about the transformation's impact, Andrew Savage, Global Lead for Procurement Excellence at MTN, stated:
'Agility Arabia's team played a pivotal role in setting up and aligning all teams with the prescribed methodologies and guidelines. Their responsibility extended to coaching, guiding, and mentoring each team member, fostering active participation from over 80% of our organisation in agile initiatives. We saw an improvement of up to 55% in strategic RFP cycle times, illustrating the tangible benefits of the transformation. Within three months, our Agile Net Promoter Score doubled, reflecting the success of our collaboration.'
Overcoming Complex Challenges with Embedded Coaching
The journey was not without challenges—from change resistance and cross-timezone collaboration, to introducing Agile in a non-software environment. Agility Arabia embedded experienced coaches within MTN's teams to provide continuous, in-person support. This helped overcome adoption hurdles, align stakeholders, and ensure consistent use of Scrum events, backlogs, and customer-centric planning techniques like proto-personas and relative estimation.
The initiative also included ongoing training for new joiners, weekly "Breakfast & Learn" sessions, and upskilling of the Scrum Master cohort.
A Scalable Model for Enterprise-Wide Change
MTN's transformation is now seen as a template for Agile adoption across other functions. The next phase will include enterprise-level Agile coaching, deeper integration of Lean Agile Procurement practices, and continuous reinforcement of MTN's "Digital DNA" strategy.
Agility Arabia and MTN were jointly shortlisted for the 2024 Excellence in Procurement and Supply Consultancy Project of the Year, with MTN earning further recognition through three additional award nominations.
About Agility Arabia
Agility Arabia is a Dubai-based consultancy and training provider helping organisations across the GCC shift to Agile ways of working. The firm offers certified Scrum.org training, executive coaching, and hands-on transformation support across sectors such as telecom, banking, government, and healthcare. Agility Arabia is known for its embedded, people-first approach and its practical application of Agile beyond IT—in functions such as procurement, HR, and product delivery.
www.agilityarabia.com
About MTN Group
MTN Group is Africa's largest mobile network operator, offering voice, data, fintech, enterprise, and API services to over 291 million customers across 16 markets. Its purpose is to enable the benefits of a modern connected life to everyone.
The Global Sourcing and Supply Chain (GSSC) division leads procurement, supplier management, and supply chain operations for the Group.
www.mtn.com
For press enquiries:
Nick Hudson
Co-Founder, Agility Arabia
nick.hudson@agilityarabia.com
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