Paul Arithi 
Standard Bank backs youth leadership at One Young World Summit, including East African delegates;
- Standard Bank Group partners with One Young World to host the global Summit in Cape Town from 3–6 November 2026 as the gathering returns to Africa for the first time in 13 years.
- Standard Bank will sponsor 61 young delegates to attend the Summit in Cape Town,including delegates from East Africa.
- 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.
The annual Summit brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries, alongside business leaders, policymakers and changemakers, to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
This marks the gathering’s first return to Africa in 13 years,following its inaugural hosting on the continent in Johannesburg in 2013.
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.
The 61 sponsored delegates comprise:
- A special 30-person delegation comprising 24 alumni of its Graduate Programmes and 6 current graduates, as part of its plan to celebrate 30 years of its Graduate Programmes (including delegates from East Africa)
- 21 students currently supported through the bank’s bursary programme
- 10 delegates drawn from young entrepreneurial clients and youth-focused Corporate Social Investment (CSI) partners
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.
In 2025, the Group invested an estimated KES 2 billion in corporate social investment initiatives across Africa, including programmes supporting access to quality education and the development of digital and entrepreneurial skills.
A central part of this commitment is Standard Bank’s award-winning Graduate Development Programme, established in 1997 and approaching its 30-year mileston
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.”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.
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 Gregoire-Trudeau and Mteto Nyati and other prominent personalities.
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