Bank ups investment in Centre for AgriLeadership and Business Development
Standard Bank is to up its investment in the standard bank Centre for Agribusiness Development and leadership at stellenbosch university from R3,45 million over the past
three years to R5,13 million over the next three years. the Centre is part of Stellenbosch University’s Hope Project initiative.
Willie du Plessis, Director Agricultural banking at Standard bank, said it was important thatthe momentum of the Centre’s success since its launch three years ago be maintained.
He added: “the Centre has driven crucial engagement and thought leadership inSA’s agricultural sector. it has become a credibleand independent source of insight, both for
government and the agri value chain as a whole.”
Since its establishment the Centre has
initiated a number of ‘imbizos’ (or leadership laboratories) in which leaders in the agricultural industry contribute information and ideas to address sector concerns such as
transformation, land reform and employment, and unity in the agricultural sector. input from the imbizos was incorporated into the national Planning Commission’s chapter on agriculture.
Prof Johan van rooyen, who heads up the Centre, added to this that they were in the fortunate position to have the faculty’s Dean, Prof Mohammad Karaan, who is also a commissioner on the national
Planning Commission, as an imbizo facilitator. “He was able to interpret the outcomes of the imbizo's
for the national Planning Commission.”
The Centre will continue to host imbizos throughout the next three years, extending discussions to issues such as the future of agriculture, training and skills development,
water governance and renewable energy, with continued focus on sustainability, competitiveness, productivity, equity and reinvestment to grow the sector.
Van rooyen said future imbizo’s need to continue contributing new information to hotly debated topics in agriculture. the Centre will also commission research into these topics, providing fresh views and triggering new thinking. Already a number of case studies have been published.
Du Plessis mentioned the fact that Standard Bank’s enterprise Development Division and
PricewaterhouseCoopers have developed a short course for the Centre through which business Development support (bDs)
providers in the agricultural sector could gain accreditation.
“The accreditation of BDs providers will ensure that the support offered to small holder and medium scale commercial black farmers
Pictured here displaying Standard Bank’s cheque of R5,13 million are (from left to right): Prof Johan van Rooyen (Director of the Centre), Prof Mohammad Karaan (Dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences) and Mr Willie du Plessis (Director Agricultural Banking at Standard Bank).
provides them structured access to markets, finance and to other players in the value chain.
Most importantly BDs providers will offer their support to the farmers according to minimum standards accepted by the bank.”
• the Centre has attracted international attention and has engaged with britain’ s Royal Agricultural College and the African
fellowship trust on the African leadership Programme, the latter being an exchange programme in which agri businesses in SA
offer internships to Africans engaged in agribusiness for the purposes of knowledge and skills transfer.