One Young World Summit, returns to SA.
It will be held at The Mother City (Cape Town) from November 3 to 6, having been last hosted in Johannesburg in 2013.
Standard Bank, has announced its partnership with One Young World, the widely respected international forum for young leaders.
Apart from young leaders descending in CT, from all over the world, influential figures such as global actor Forest Whitaker, former SA First Lady Graca Machel, and global actress Nomzamo Mbatha, will also grace the ceremony.
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.
“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 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, who will give key-note address.
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.
It 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 30-year 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.
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.
Kate Robertson, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of One Young World, says they’re 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,” she remarked.
Other notable attendees include former Boks rugby star Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and Eskom chairperson Mteto Nyati and others.
The Summit will conclude with its closing ceremony at Castle of Good Hope.
Image provided (Lungisa Fuzile, Chief Executive for Africa Regions and Offshore at Standard Bank.)
