Kuwait, 28 April 2026  

Zain Group, a leading ICT and digital lifestyle provider across eight Middle East and Africa markets, has entered a landmark ‘People Excellence Partnership’ with GSMA Advance, the GSMA’s learning and skills arm. This collaboration sees the launch of the ‘Zain Regulatory Academy’, an industry-first initiative that falls under Zain’s Inclusion, Diversity & Equity University (IDEU), delivering accredited training to build world-class expertise among its groupwide policy and regulatory professionals. 

The Academy provides Zain’s policy, regulatory, legal, and compliance professionals access to GSMA Advance’s globally recognized ‘Best Practice in Public Policy & Regulatory Impact Accreditation’. This structured program blends self-paced online modules, expert-led seminars, practical assignments, and tailored regional content on critical topics like spectrum management, 5G evolution, IoT, mobile privacy, cybersecurity, competition policy, and digital-age fintech and more.

Falling under IDEU, the Academy advances Zain’s strategic prioritiesof bolstering governance, fostering market alignment, building a sustainable talent pipeline, and positioning regulatory leaders as industry thought leaders. It equips Zain teams to navigate complex regulatory landscapes shaped by 5G, AI, cloud, IoT, and data-driven models, ensuring robust compliance, advocacy, and contributions todigital ecosystems.

Dr. Andrew Arowojolu, Zain Group Chief Regulatory Officer, said: “The Zain Regulatory Academy extends our people-first investment into a highly specialized capability area that is becoming increasingly central to the future sustainability of our industry. Asoperating environments evolve, this learning initiative strengthens governance, alignment, and sustainable growth through capability-building our teams with globally informed expertise, practical regulatory insight and the confidence to shape sector-defining conversations that support the economic visions of the nations we serve.”

Dr. Drew MacFarlane, Head of GSMA Advance, added: “We are delighted to welcome Zain Group as a GSMA Advance People Excellence Partner. This collaboration reflects a clear commitment to investing in people as a driver of organizational success. By supporting their policy and regulatory professionals through structured, globally recognized accreditation, Zain is not only strengthening its internal expertise but also setting a benchmark for excellence across the industry.”

He continued: “As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve alongside new technologies and business models, organizations must ensure their teams are equipped not just with knowledge, but with validated, industry-recognized capabilities. This partnership is a strong example of how leading operators are taking proactive steps to build those capabilities at scale.”

The Academy builds on Zain’s IDEU’s flagship platform with Spain’s IE University. Since 2023, IDEU has engaged 2,000 employees with digital transformation programs (including master’s pathways), achieving a 92% course pass rate, 800+ active master’s students, 10,000+ certificates, and 100,000+ training hours. END