Zain Group has published its 14th annual sustainability report, titled “The New Paradigm Shift”, highlighting its commitment to responsible business practices and its value-driven operations aimed at delivering meaningful connectivity and promoting inclusive systemic transformation across societies.
A regional pioneer in digital innovation across the Middle East and Africa, Zain said the report outlines how it proactively addressed market challenges through a strategic approach tailored to the complex socio-economic and environmental landscape of the MENA region, marked by rapid population growth, climate change, and geopolitical shifts.
The report underscores Zain’s operational resilience amidst increasing challenges such as mass migration, extreme weather, rising cyber threats, and economic uncertainty. Zain’s adaptive strategy has enabled it to navigate this dynamic environment, identify growth opportunities, and expand its strategic outlook toward sustainable financial development.
It also revealed that Zain aligned its operations with both global and local sustainability trends, embedding sustainability within its core business to drive long-term value. The report adheres to global standards such as the AA1000 Accountability Principles (2018), GRI, SASB (Telecommunications), TCFD disclosures, UNGP reporting framework on business and human rights, Kuwait Boursa ESG guide, GSMA mobile ESG metrics, and the UN Global Compact principles.
In 2024, Zain’s emission reduction targets were officially approved by SBTi. The group uses the GHG Protocol’s corporate accounting and reporting standards for emissions inventory and aligns its emission factors with IEA standards to maintain consistency across all operations.
The 2024 report was independently verified by Ernst & Young (Al Aiban, Al Osaimi & Partners), using both limited and reasonable assurance methods—marking the first time Zain’s scope 1 and 2 emissions received reasonable assurance, while all other metrics underwent limited assurance.
The report highlighted Zain’s critical role in digital transformation, emphasizing that its leadership in this field creates opportunities across industries. Through advanced tech solutions, data governance policies, and a partnership with Huawei, Zain launched an AI Centre of Excellence to accelerate this journey.
Zain also launched UNITY in 2024—a group-wide transformation program designed to embed purpose and customer experience into its operations through a human-centric approach. Customer service is considered central to delivering a high-quality user experience.
The group maintained its ethical and responsible conduct by ensuring employee health, safety, and wellbeing across its facilities, networks, and suppliers, adhering to safety regulations and deploying company programs that promote employee wellness.
Chief Sustainability Officer Jennifer Suleiman stated:
“In an age of technological breakthroughs enabling unprecedented impact, Zain recognises its responsibility to lead in bringing innovation that drives positive social development and meaningful connectivity.”
She added:
“Despite escalating conflict, mass displacement, and worsening climate conditions in the region, Zain met its strategic goals, improved sustainability outcomes, and ensured all operations provided meaningful access—addressing gender gaps, digital literacy, child protection, and biodiversity conservation.”
Data privacy remains a top priority for Zain, which commits to protecting the personal information of all stakeholders in line with relevant laws. The company’s privacy policy outlines principles for data collection, processing, and disclosure, and throughout the year, Zain took proactive steps to maintain compliance and adopt best practices.
Zain’s five-year strategy centres on four pillars: climate change, responsible operations, inclusion, and youth. The group aims to safeguard the planet, ensure accessibility, and close the digital literacy gap.
Its 2024 sustainability agenda tackled social, economic, and environmental challenges across markets, with initiatives like:
Carbon reduction targets aligned with SBTi and a water management plan tailored to local contexts, resulting in a 5.89% in water consumption from 2023.
Continued commitment to CDP climate disclosures, biodiversity protection, and nature preservation.
Expansion of its supplier training program on ESG principles, human rights, and anti-corruption. The number of trained suppliers rose significantly in 2024, and a self-assessment process was maintained to ensure alignment with ethical standards.
Zain’s supply chain management ensures suppliers are rigorously vetted against values such as ethical business, sustainability, and regulatory compliance. This proactive approach protects operations and promotes a value-based supply chain.
Despite creating 114,000 job opportunities in 2024, youth unemployment remains a major regional issue. To tackle this, Zain advocates for reskilling and capacity building to prepare youth for future workforce demands.
Zain targets digital inclusion for underserved groups—elderly people, individuals with disabilities, women, and children—acknowledging that basic services can transform lives and drive social development.
The group launched the fourth edition of its Women in Tech program in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, with 485 participants—up 16% from 2023. Zain plays a key role in promoting gender equality in tech and inspiring young women in STEM fields.
Zain also partnered with UN Women under the Accelerating SDG 5 Implementation in Kuwait (2024-2027) programme, supporting women entrepreneurs aged 18–45. The initiative gathered insights from 31 respondents to build tailored business support strategies.
Zain strengthened digital inclusion for people with disabilities by expanding tailored service bundles in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. It also advanced staff development through Zain’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity University (IDEU), in partnership with IE University in Spain, enabling 2,000 employees to pursue online digital transformation courses and potentially earn master’s degrees.
