Absa Group says it has successfully transformed its banking operations across multiple African countries by replacing legacy systems with modern, AI-ready SAP technologies in a decade-long digital overhaul.
In a statement, the company said the journey began in 2011, shortly after Barclays’ acquisition of the group, with an ambitious goal to build a unified digital platform to streamline finance and procurement while driving long-term business agility.
“The first phase of our transformation started in 2011, a few years after the Barclays acquisition. The goal was to move all African entities onto a single Barclays platform. However, this platform was unsuitable for retail banking in Africa due to limitations in handling master data, general ledger accounts, and granular core banking functions,” the Head: FC Technology Enablement and Finance Business Sponsor for the SAP rollout at Absa, Annelie Hurter, said.
The company stated that it launched Project Owari, named after an ancient African board game, as its transformation vehicle.
Tanzania was said to be the first test case of the project, but challenges prompted a seven-month pause for reassessment.
“We put the project on hold for seven months to determine the best course of action after realising the limitations of the Barclays platform. We engaged in extensive consultations, all the way to the CEO’s desk, and ultimately decided to be slightly less ambitious. We chose to test our rollout on a smaller market to ensure we had a viable blueprint for the rest of the group,” Hurter said.
He added that Zambia was the first country to go live in 2016, using a hybrid of the local South African SAP ECC6 platform and SAP Supplier Relationship Management.
Similar rollouts reportedly followed in Mauritius and Seychelles (2016), Ghana and Tanzania (2017–2018), Botswana (2018), and Uganda (2019).
This phase also coincided with the group’s separation from Barclays in 2017 and SAP’s global shift toward its more advanced, cloud-based S/4HANA platform.
“We implemented SAP S/4HANA with a focus on clean core principles: limited customisation, standardised processes, and a deliberate move away from legacy workarounds. Strong governance kept us aligned and prevented scope creep. Where necessary, we split the implementation into phases, starting with cost accounting, followed by the primary ledger and group reporting,” he stated.
Hurter noted that much of the transformation happened during the pandemic, relying on remote teams across borders.
While Kenya’s rollout was completed mostly virtually, the South African implementation revealed the need for more flexibility.
Rather than a simultaneous launch of the ledger, group reporting and procurement systems, he noted that Absa split the rollout and adopted Coupa for procurement, tightening spend controls and digitising mandates.
“With improved data models, we are now able to respond faster to regulatory requirements, enhance external disclosures, and prepare for further innovation. This includes the potential deployment of SAP Financial Products Subledger and business AI in future. This journey has taken commitment, focus, effort and dedication, but remains worth it as we chart a course toward sustainable and scalable growth,” Hurter said.
The Interim Managing Director for Southern Africa at SAP, Nazia Pillay, remarked, “Digital transformation in the banking sector is immensely complex, with companies perpetually balancing the need for business continuity and regulatory compliance with essential technology deployments to ensure they continue to deliver to customer needs.
“Absa has overcome every challenge to transform its core banking processes and lay a solid foundation for further tech-led innovation. We are proud to continue to support Absa as it implements its exciting vision for the future of banking on the African continent.”
Absa Group is one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services providers, with operations in 12 countries and presence in key global markets.
