Financial services firm Standard Bank Business and Commercial Banking (BCB) and business school Gordon Institute of Business Science’s (GIBS’s) Entrepreneurship Development Academy (EDA) have opened applications for the 2025 Youth Forward Programme to empower 50 black youth-owned businesses with the tools and support to drive sustainable growth in the tough economic climate.

Youth Month serves as a national call to action to invest in youth development and enable their full participation in South Africa’s economy, says Standard Bank South Africa BCB enterprise development head Naledzani Mosomane.

“Through the Youth Forward Programme, we aim to transform the entrepreneurial landscape for black youth by equipping them with the skills, networks and resources to build sustainable businesses,” she says.“This programme equips participants with practical tools and strategic thinking to sustain and grow their businesses,” says GIBS EDA senior programme manager Guinivere Pedro.

The programme is open to entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35, running businesses with at least 51% black ownership and a minimum of R100 000 in annual revenue. Applicants must be South African citizens with registered businesses that have been in operation for at least 12 months.

Participants will benefit from structured business training, mentorship, and access to a network of peers and industry leaders.

However, while the programme blends online and in-person learning, preference is given to entrepreneurs in Gauteng and surrounding provinces owing to the location of physical sessions in Johannesburg, the partners note.

Applications close on June 3, 2025.

The programme forms part of Standard Bank BCB's broader commitment to inclusive entrepreneurship. It is one of the bank's enterprise and supplier development programmes, which provide support aimed at enabling more township entrepreneurs to start, manage and grow small, medium-sized and microenterprises, and thereby contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s development.