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Partnering for Africa’s Future: Absa & One Young World
Absa Group is proud to continue its partnership with One Young World, a global platform that empowers young leaders to drive positive change. This year, our cohort of emerging leaders attended the annual summit in Munich, Germany, representing Absa’s commitment to purpose-led leadership and sustainable impact.
Our delegates embody the values of innovation, resilience, and inclusivity, joining thousands of peers from around the world to engage in critical conversations shaping the future. Their participation reflects Absa’s belief in investing in talent that not only leads within the organisation but also contributes meaningfully to society.
In Absa’s panel discussion and mainstage address, Absa championed entrepreneurship as a driving force for leadership, innovation, and social progress across Africa. Guided by the belief that leadership transcends age and titles, Absa continues to empower young Africans who transform ideas into impact. These emerging leaders created solutions addressing global challenges such as responsible technology, peace and security, the circular economy, and anti-hate, the core themes of the 2025 OYW Summit.
Meet-up
Every leadership journey begins with a connection. Earlier this year, our One Young World (OYW) alumni from across Southern Africa gathered to reflect, reconnect, and reignite their purpose.
The Absa OYW meet-up brought together diverse young leaders, each sharing how their OYW Summit experiences have shaped the way they lead, collaborate, and create social impact.
These powerful moments remind us that global conversations only matter when they inspire tangible local change in the communities we serve.
Absa One Young World 2025 Send-Off
On 23 October 2025, we hosted the Absa Southern Africa send-off at Alice Lane in Sandton. This special event brought together our incoming Absa One Young World delegates, senior Absa leadership, and regional teams as we formally sent our representatives to the One Young World 2025 Summit in Munich.
The send-off marked a moment of recognition and commitment: recognition of the talent and potential of these young leaders, and commitment to supporting their journey and the ideas they will bring home to drive local change.
With senior leaders in attendance, we reinforced how seriously the Absa Group views this opportunity, not as a standalone event, but as a vital investment in leadership development, social impact, and our shared future across Africa.
Corporate Citizenship and Human Capital Remarks
Our Absa One Young World ambassadors proved that connection transforms potential into action. Through vital networking and mentorship, these young leaders gained new perspectives that will help them drive social impact across the continent.
As we celebrate Cape Town as the host city for the One Young World Summit 2026, we extend our gratitude to all the Absa ambassadors who represented the Absa Group, carrying our commitment to leadership development, impact, and purpose onto this global platform.
Munich Summit Focus Areas
The One Young World 2025 Summit centred on themes that reflect our shared global priorities, including:
Circular Economy: How can we effectively transition from a linear 'take-make-dispose' economic model to a circular one that minimizes waste and maximizes resource utilization through strategies like reuse, repair, and recycling?
Responsible Tech: What ethical considerations should guide the development and deployment of emerging technologies—especially artificial intelligence—to ensure they promote social good and do not deepen existing inequalities?
Anti-Hate: What strategies can be implemented to effectively address the rise of hate speech, discrimination, and intolerance, and foster more inclusive and respectful societies?
Education: Access to education is a fundamental human right, yet millions of young people worldwide are denied this opportunity due to poverty, gender inequality, and disability. Despite global initiatives and advancements, significant disparities persist, particularly for vulnerable and marginalised groups. With this in mind what can we do improve access to education for all.
Peace & Security: For the first time ever in a One Young World Global Consultation Process, when respondents were asked about which was the biggest existential threat facing humanity, the Climate Crisis polled below 50% with one if five young leaders now believing Nuclear War to be the biggest threat. This mirrors the striking news from the Bulletin of Atomic Sciences which set the 2025 Doomsday Clock at 89 seconds to midnight. Therefore, how can we leverage young leaders to be at the forefront of international cooperation, to build a safer, more peaceful
Our Absa delegates will bring vital African perspectives to these global OYW conversations. They will return with key insights to strengthen how we serve our clients, communities and the continent. Through the One Young World Summit, we grow next-generation leaders who think beyond borders. These leaders act for good and drive crucial social impact across Africa.
Absa Delegate Profiles
