Cultivating change: Standard Bank Launches Agric Academy
Standard Bank launched its Agric Academy with the aim of empowering staff to provide improved services to agricultural clients. This in turn will also address the broader challenges of food insecurity and uplifting agricultural communities in Africa. The ground-breaking initiative is aimed at equipping staff employed in the bank’s agriculture division with the expertise to navigate the complexities of the agricultural landscape.
Keynote speaker at the event, Bill Blackie, CEO of Business and Commercial Banking South Africa, emphasised the importance of agriculture in Africa's economy, highlighting its significant contributions to GDP, employment, and domestic trade. He underscored Standard Bank's longstanding history in agriculture, dating back to 1862, and its role in nurturing businesses at every stage of their growth journey. He reiterated the bank's vision to become the dominant business bank in sub-Saharan Africa, with a strong focus on agriculture.
Bill Blackie underscored the launch of the Agric Academy as a testament to the bank's commitment to investing in its people and bridging the skills gap in the agricultural sector. “This Academy is not just about education, it's also about empowerment, it’s about equipping people with the tools, skills and knowledge to serve our clients to better navigate the complexities of the agricultural landscape and to drive sustainable growth.”
Nerintha Ryan, Head of People and Culture at BCBSA, praised the collaborative efforts, highlighting the pivotal role played by the Learning and Development team. She underscored their contribution to the creation of the sector's first-of-its-kind academy and emphasised the importance of partnerships with relevant universities. “This programme has been 18 months in the making and started from a very humble People’s Day discussion around how we deliver skills for the future in a sector where skills scarcity is a real issue. We’re delighted at the partnerships we’ve been able to strike, with typically competing universities working together and supporting us in our journey. The partnership internally and the role which Learning and Development has played a critical role in the first of its kind Sector Academy”.
She accentuated the programme's role in providing proper learning opportunities for individuals to acquire skills and add value to the agricultural sector. Nerintha expressed her excitement about the transformative journey ahead, reiterating the academy's role in sowing the seeds of knowledge, nurturing talent, and harvesting a sustainable future for agriculture.
Louis van Ravesteyn, Group Head of Agri-Business at BCB, focused on the collective effort required to address food security challenges and the significance of collaboration among stakeholders, including colleagues, clients, universities, and financial institutions like Standard Bank. He expressed gratitude towards the tertiary partners, the University of Pretoria, the University of the Free State, and the University of Stellenbosch, who will each host different modules.
The first cohort consists of 30 students, with 16 from across Africa and 14 from South Africa. Ronaldie Pretorius, a Credit Analyst from Tshwane North in Gauteng province, expressed her appreciation that the course was well-designed, allowing ample time to absorb and reflect on all the content. Modisakgotla Sebogodi, Agric Country Head, for Botswana, underlined the importance of the skills taught at the Agric Academy course: “In a constantly evolving environment, it's crucial to implement strategies and risk management methods to navigate successfully. We should ensure that we have the tools required to tackle present difficulties and foresee future ones. Viewing situations from agricultural, microeconomic, and environmental angles, we need to assess various scenarios and adjust our approach accordingly. The course provides us with these implements.”
The Agric Academy represents a significant step forward in Standard Bank's commitment to supporting agricultural development in Africa. By equipping staff with specialised skills and knowledge, the academy aims to empower agricultural communities, drive sustainable growth, and contribute to the economic development of the continent. As the first cohort of delegates embarks on this transformative journey, Standard Bank looks forward to seeing the impact they will have on the lives of their clients and communities, and in shaping the future of agriculture in Africa.