News

Stellenbosch University’s Standard Bank Centre for Agribusiness Leadership and Mentorship Development has formed a partnership with The African Fellowship Trust(AFT) and the Royal Agricultural College (RAC) in the UK to strengthen the AFT’s African Leadership Programme.

The African Fellowship Trust (AFT), an independent Trust set up to provide strategic oversight to the programme, has been working with the Royal Agricultural College (RAC) for the past five years to identify and provide educational opportunities in the UK for outstanding students from Africa.

The Centre will put the Fellows through a short orientation course in southern African agricultural developments and then arrange 4-week placements for them in the agribusiness sector and will also provide the Fellows with mentoring support.

A concluding session at Stellenbosch will mark the end of the programme and the Fellows will then return to employment. They will then be expected to implement a small development project planned while at RAC and the Centre.

The Standard Bank Centre for Agribusiness Leadership and Mentorship Development, the first of its kind in Africa, was launched in 2010 in response to the high failure rate of land reform projects and emerging commercial farmers and is designed to address current challenges in the agricultural sector. The Centre aims to link emerging farmers with the commercial agri-food value chain and promote economic development and growth.  It’s also one of Stellenbosch University’s HOPE Project initiatives. Through its HOPE Project the University strives to be of service to society by applying its expertise and the power of science to tackle serious problems in South Africa and on the continent.