Zain is committed to engaging openly with all its stakeholders to understand their priorities and expectations and integrate them into its decision-making processes.
Through structured engagement channels such as surveys, official Zain communication channels such as press releases, websites, social media, and online applications, meetings, partnerships, and reporting, the company identifies and prioritizes material topics that reflect its most significant socio-economic and environmental impacts and Zain’s value creation. Insights gathered from these interactions guide Zain’s 4WARD corporate and sustainability strategies, ensuring the company creates shared value across the six capitals: Financial, Manufactured, Natural, Human, Intellectual, and Social.
The outcomes of these engagements are reflected throughout this report, demonstrating how stakeholder input directly informs Zain’s actions, initiatives, and performance across key material topics.
Customers
Priorities
- Reliable service
- Innovative yet affordable and accessible service
- Informed about promotional offerings and relevant information
- Customized products and services that cater to different needs and lifestyles
- Ease, clarity, and transparency of billing
- Ensuring cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection
- High-quality customer service
Mode of engagement
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Social media, flagship and franchise stores, customer service lines, websites, surveys
Frequency
-
Ongoing engagement with quarterly performance monitoring
Response
-
Feedback led to enhancements in digital self-service tools, Zain app, clearer billing formats, strengthened data protection protocols, and accessible service and communication channels.
Shareholders and Investors
Priorities
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Strong return on investment
-
Provide a fair and transparent understanding of the company’s strategy and business to current and potential investors
-
Open channels of communication with shareholders
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Reduce environmental impact and align to net zero targets
Mode of engagement
-
Reporting, meetings, websites, surveys, analyst calls
Frequency
-
Ongoing engagement with quarterly reporting
Response
-
Facilitate regular access to senior management through roadshows and investor conferences, targeting potential investors interested in the region, and ensuring transparent dialog on business performance and strategic direction.
Employees
Priorities
-
Job security and satisfaction
-
Opportunities for development and skills enhancement
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Competitive and fair compensation and benefits
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Health, safety, and wellbeing
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Inclusive, diverse and equitable for all
Mode of engagement
-
Internal communications, employee surveys, training programs, workshops, and wellbeing initiatives
Frequency
-
Ongoing engagement with annual surveys, continuous training, and periodic wellbeing campaigns
Response
-
Ensure employee satisfaction and growth by maintaining job security, offering continuous development and wellbeing programs, establishing the Unity program, promoting Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, safeguarding employee health and safety through comprehensive insurance coverage, and providing competitive compensation aligned with market standards.
General Public and Community Institutions
such as neighborhoods near base stations, media, civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGO), advocacy groups, children, charities, associations, foundations, schools, universities, and medical institutions
Priorities
-
Minimize pollution and waste
-
Uphold health, safety, and environmental standards
-
Address community needs in education, health, and economic development
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Advance climate action, energy efficiency, nature conservation, and biodiversity protection
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Engage with civil society, NGOs, and community partners
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Promote inclusion and equal opportunities for all
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Protect children from online harm and promote their rights
Mode of engagement
-
Community partnerships, media campaigns, forums, internal and external activities, Environmental Social Management Plan (ESMP) assessments and implementation
Frequency
-
Continuous engagement with quarterly and annual reviews of sustainability initiatives
Response
-
Minimize operational impacts through sustainable site design, renewable energy use, and strict adherence to ESMP and Electro Magnetic Field standards, while supporting local development, awareness campaigns, and climate initiatives aligned with Zain’s net zero and Sustainable Development Goal commitments, alongside promoting child protection rights, and inclusion of persons with disabilities across all community programs.
Business Partners
Priorities
- Transparent and fair contracts and agreements
- Conducting periodic evaluations and assessments
- Timely payments and clear communications
- Alignment to Zain’s policies and procedures
- Collaboration on innovation and energy efficiency towards net zero goals
- Access to information regarding the company, including financial data, customer data, and other relevant information
Mode of engagement
-
Regular meetings, forums, supplier assessments, training sessions, and digital platforms
Frequency
-
Continuous engagement with quarterly and annual evaluations and reports
Response
-
Maintain transparent and fair contractual processes, ensure timely payments, and long-term collaboration through supplier assessments, trainings, and joint initiatives that advance human rights, ethical conduct, and energy efficiency across the value chain.
Government, Regulators, and Industry Associations
Priorities
-
Compliance with laws, regulations, and tax requirements
-
Protection of stakeholder rights and transparency
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Ensuring network quality, reliability, and coverage
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Proactive risk management and business continuity
-
Strengthen cooperation with regulators and government bodies
Mode of engagement
-
Meetings, reports, audits, disclosures, and continuous communication with regulatory and tax authorities
Frequency
-
Continuous engagement with quarterly and annual reporting
Response
-
Ensure full compliance with national and international regulations through regular reporting, transparent disclosures, and governance frameworks. Maintain active engagement with regulatory and tax bodies, invest in network quality, and uphold stakeholder rights through strong corporate governance, risk management, and business continuity measures.
Material Topic
Customer Privacy & Data Security, Customer Service, Digital Transformation, Selling Practices & Product Labeling, Digital Inclusion
Sub-Topic
Customers
Risk
Data breaches, poor service quality, declining trust and customer acquisition
Opportunity
Strengthen the brand and customer trust, enhance digital experience, improve rete
Impact on the six integrated thinking capitals
Secure and user-centric digital platforms generate recurring revenues and strengthen customer trust, enabled by robust IT infrastructure and data protection capabilities.
Financial Capital
Manufactured Capital
Intellectual Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Financial Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Intellectual Capital
Material Topic
Economic Performance, Business Model Resilience, Business Ethics & Governance, Climate Change
Sub-Topic
Shareholders and Investors
Risk
Reduced investor confidence, higher cost of capital, misalignment with sustainability expectations and targets
Opportunity
Transparent strategy execution and climate alignment support capital attraction and long-term value creation while reinforcing market credibility.
Impact on the six integrated thinking capitals
Transparent strategy execution and climate alignment support capital attraction and long-term value creation while reinforcing market credibility.
Financial Capital
Intellectual Capital
Natural Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Financial Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Material Topic
Workforce Management, Labor Practices, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity, Employee Health & Safety
Sub-Topic
Employees
Risk
Talent attrition, low engagement, skills gaps, safety incidents, high turnover
Opportunity
Build a motivated, diverse, inclusive and future-ready workforce
Impact on the six integrated thinking capitals
Continuous learning, wellbeing, and inclusive practices strengthen workforce capability and productivity while fostering a positive organizational culture.
Human Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Intellectual Capital
Financial Capital
Intellectual Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Financial Capital
Material Topic
Waste Management, Climate Change, Biodiversity & Nature Impacts, Responsible Consumption & Production, Philanthropy & Community Engagement, Children’s Rights, Mobile Communications & Health, Digital Inclusion
Sub-Topic
General Public and Community Institutions
Risk
Environmental harm, high waste consumption, community opposition, reputational damage
Opportunity
Strengthen social license to operate, positive community and environmental impact
Impact on the six integrated thinking capitals
Environmental protection and community investment protect ecosystems and build societal trust, enabling sustainable operations and long-term business continuity.
Natural Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Financial Capital
Manufactured Capital
Natural Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Financial Capital
Material Topic
Supply Chain Management, Human Rights, Business Ethics & Governance, Climate Change, Customer Privacy & Data Security
Sub-Topic
Business Partners
Risk
Supply chain disruptions, human and child rights violations, data leaks
Opportunity
Build resilient and responsible value chain
Impact on the six integrated thinking capitals
Responsible sourcing and ethical partnerships ensure continuity of critical inputs, reduce emissions, and safeguard shared data and knowledge.
Manufactured Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Natural Capital
Financial Capital
Intellectual Capital
Manufactured Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Financial Capital
Intellectual Capital
Material Topic
Management of Legal & Regulatory Environment, Business Ethics & Governance, Physical & Sociopolitical Risks, Business Model Resilience, Competitive Behavior
Sub-Topic
Government, Regalators, and Industry Associations
Risk
Fines, license risk, service disruptions
Opportunity
Strong governance, regulatory and tax compliance, and risk management preserve license to operate and support reliable network infrastructure.
Impact on the six integrated thinking capitals
Strong governance, compliance, and risk management preserve license to operate and support reliable network infrastructure.
Financial Capital
Manufactured Capital
Social & Relationship Capital
Intellectual Capital
Financial Capital
Manufactured Capital
Social & Relationship Capital