STANDARD BANK PARTNERS WITH ONE YOUNG WORLD TO PROMOTE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AS AN INFLUENTIAL GATHERING COMES TO CAPE TOWN

Standard Bank, the biggest bank in Africa by assets, has announced its partnership with One Young World, the widely respected international forum for young leaders. The bank will partner to host the influential One Young World Summit in Cape Town from 3 – 6 November 2026.

The annual Summit brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries, alongside influential business leaders, policymakers and changemakers, to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.  This marks the first time the Summit has returned to African soil in 13 years, following its inaugural hosting on the continent in Johannesburg in 2013.

“For Standard Bank, the partnership reflects our belief that Africa’s future growth and prosperity depend on investing in the potential of its young people. Investing in youth is both a moral imperative and strategically important for the continent’s future.  With a young population (under 25 years old) totalling an estimated 900 million, Africa is decidedly on the cusp of a demographic dividend.  So, for Standard Bank, this partnership is perfectly aligned to our purpose – “Africa is our home; we drive her growth”.    It allows us to invest in the future of the continent, and we look forward to working with One Young World to develop tomorrow’s leaders today,” says Lungisa Fuzile, Chief Executive for Africa Regions and Offshore at Standard Bank.

This commitment is reflected in Standard Bank’s sustained investment in education, skills development, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities across the continent.  In 2025, the Group invested R266 million in corporate social investment initiatives across Africa, including programmes supporting access to quality education and the development of digital and entrepreneurial skills.  The bank also disbursed R615.9 million in student loans in South Africa during 2025.

A central part of this commitment is Standard Bank’s award-winning Graduate Development Programme, established in 1997 and approaching its 30-year milestone. The programme has provided generations of young professionals with structured workplace experience, mentorship and career opportunities, building a pipeline of future leaders across the Group.  In 2025 alone, 251 graduates joined the Group’s graduate programmes across 11 countries.

This year, Standard Bank is sponsoring 61 young delegates to attend the One Young World Summit in Cape Town.  In honour of the upcoming 30th anniversary of its Graduate Development Programme, the delegation includes 30 young, talented employees who are graduate programme alumni.  The delegation also includes 21 students who are currently being supported through the bank’s bursary programme, and 10 delegates drawn from a combination of young entrepreneurial clients and partners from the bank’s youth-focused corporate social investment initiatives.

Standard Bank will also contribute to the Summit’s programme through the participation of its senior leaders.  Goolam Ballim, Chief Economist and Head of Research at Standard Bank Group, will participate in the Future of Africa session, offering perspectives on the continent’s economic outlook, opportunities for growth and the role of young leaders in shaping its future.

As the main sponsor of the Summit’s Closing Ceremony, Standard Bank will be represented by Lungisa Fuzile, who will deliver an address encouraging delegates to turn the ideas, connections and inspiration gained at the Summit into meaningful action.

“We are immensely proud of this very special partnership.  With this year’s Summit taking place in Africa, it made sense to partner with Africa’s biggest bank by assets.  Standard Bank has done genuinely impressive work to drive youth development, and this aligns perfectly with the values of One Young World.  The Closing Ceremony of the One Young World Summit 2026 marks the first step of a development journey that will undoubtedly benefit thousands of young people in Africa and beyond,” says Kate Robertson, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of One Young World.  

Among the great and the good attending the Summit are Forest Whitaker, Graca Machel, Nomzamo Mbatha, Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, and Mteto Nyati, and other prominent personalities.

The Summit will conclude with its closing ceremony at the historic Castle of Good Hope.

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