As the leading bank servicing the South African agricultural sector, Absa has a keen interest in the ongoing skills development and training to ensure sustainability and transformation of the sector and the country. These scholarships are intended to meet the demand for skilled workers across various disciplines in the agricultural sector.

“As we launch this initiative, our big bet is on the youth population – education and supporting young people and making sure that we give them the skills they need to not only contribute to growing their livelihoods but also more importantly, to drive and grow our economies and communities going forward,” says Sazini Mojapelo, Group Head of Corporate Citizenship for Absa.

Prof Danie Brink, Dean of SU's Faculty of Agrisciences, says the Faculty truly appreciates the support of corporate South Africa, and ABSA in particular. “Such efforts go a long way to support the South African agricultural sector and the people who are to lead it in future to ensure that the production of enough food for our people remain a priority." 

The programme kicked off with a virtual AgriBusiness Scholarship meet-and-greet event held in November 2020, but formally commences in 2021. The scholarships will cover the duration of a student’s studies if they maintain an average of 60%. The scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, textbooks, learning materials and meals. The programme also provides a dynamic support initiative for students comprising of various elements spread across the duration of a degree course. According to Lydia Magopa, Portfolio Manager: Absa Group Citizenship, Education and Delivery, the purpose is to help students settle, to cope and learn in a university environment.

Starting in January 2021, scholarship recipients will be introduced to Absa as the scholarship funder and will be assisted to open an Absa bank account and receive a complimentary R500. Throughout the duration of the programme, students will partake in information sharing events and seminars. Experiential learning will also form part of the support component where students will be able to participate in short courses and get exposure to a work setting during their vacations. Finally, during their final year of study, students will have access to resources such as CV writing tips, interviewing tips and exposure to career fairs to prepare them to exit university and enter the world of work with determination.

As is the case with all students on the programme, the 10 SU students will be assigned a dedicated team of three mentors who are specialists in the field of agriculture. These mentors will be their primary point of contact and will arrange quarterly engagement sessions to encourage and help them make the most of the opportunity.

As a further incentive for students to perform at their peak, Absa will also award an annual prize to two students. The best performing student in the programme as well as the student who has improved the most during an academic year, will each receive a floating trophy and R10 000.