Why MTN is saying goodbye to the Middle East to focus on Africa

Afghanistan’s number one operator also turned out to be its owner MTN’s main burden. The South African giant is close to concluding talks to sell the unit and its approximately 2.3 million customers after it received a $35m buyout offer in August, although the buyer’s name has not yet been disclosed.

After selling Yemen in November 2021 and handing over its Syrian subsidiary to the local authorities that same year, the yellow brand’s latest operation seems to confirm its desire to withdraw definitively from the Middle East, a region that has caused it many problems.