Education is one of the surest ways to unlock opportunity. For individuals, it offers the chance to change the trajectory of their lives.

For society, it cultivates the skills, ideas and leadership needed to solve pressing challenges and achieve long-term prosperity. In South Africa, where inequality remains entrenched and too many young people lack access to quality learning, investing in education is not just a moral obligation; it is an economic imperative.

This belief sits at the heart of the FirstRand Foundation (FRF) and the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation (FREF). Together, they form the social-investing arms of the FirstRand Group, and together they are committed to reducing poverty and inequality by supporting initiatives that expand access to education at all levels

The FirstRand education focus

The FRF, established in 1998, and the FREF, created in 2005 as part of the Group’s B-BBEE transaction, have consistently placed education at the centre of their strategies. The FRF invests heavily in early childhood development, literacy, numeracy, digital skills and capacity-building in the development sector.

The FREF has recently broadened its scope to include healthcare, agriculture, climate change and gender-based violence, but quality education remains a cornerstone focus

"We are determined to help reduce poverty and inequality by ensuring that young South Africans gain access to the very best opportunities,” explains Dr Nolulamo (Lulu) Gwagwa, Chairperson of the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation. “Education is the most powerful equaliser, and a proven way of creating pathways that otherwise would not exist."

Opening doors to the world

The FirstRand International Postgraduate Scholarship Programme embodies this understanding and commitment. It financially supports outstanding South African students to enable them to pursue postgraduate studies at some of the world’s most prestigious universities. The idea is not only to accelerate personal and professional growth, but also to equip future leaders with the global knowledge and networks they need to return home and make a meaningful impact.

Since its inception, the programme has awarded 97 scholarships across diverse fields, ranging from medicine and engineering to law, social sciences and the performing arts. The outcomes of the programme are tangible, with recipients who are now alumni making valuable contributions in academia, business, public service and civil society – and all helping to drive innovation and social progress.

"The FREF Scholarship Programme gives us a chance to invest in individuals while also helping to build South Africa’s collective future,” says Dr Gwagwa. “These young students come back with insights and skills that they can use to transform systems and industries, and build communities."

Meet the 2025 scholars

This year’s FREF Scholarship recipients represent a remarkable cross-section of talent, ambition and purpose:

• Arabela Chilwane (Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship) will pursue an MSc in Development Management at the London School of Economics.

• Adrian McIntosh (Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship), a UCT graduate in Electrical and Computer Engineering, heads to Oxford for an MSc in Engineering by Research.

• Nosipho Gumede (FREF Scholarship), an independent consultant and engineering curriculum designer, will undertake a PhD in Design at the University of the Arts London, focusing on sustainable transitions in engineering education.

• Zolani Metu (FREF Scholarship), head of programmes at literacy non-profit Funda Wande and an award-winning social activist, will pursue an MSc in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation at Oxford.

• Ibrahim Suder (FREF Scholarship), a computer scientist from Wits specialising in AI and robotics, has been accepted to Cambridge for an MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence.

• James Rumsey (FREF Scholarship), a finance graduate from UCT with experience in investment banking and community projects, will study towards an MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford.

• Alexandria Procter (FirstRand Oxford Smith School Scholarship), founder of DigsConnect.com and a recognised youth leader, will pursue an MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford.

• Kabelo Mbuyisa (FirstRand Oxford African Studies Scholarship), a Wits education graduate and lecturer, will study for an MSc in African Studies at Oxford, with long-term ambitions in education law and policy.

• Skye Hasseriis (FirstRand IHE Delft Scholarship), an Earth Science graduate from Stellenbosch, will study for an MSc in Water and Sustainable Development at the IHE Delft Institute in the Netherlands.

Building a generation of changemakers

Each of these students has already shown excellence, resilience and a desire to contribute to a better future. Their postgraduate journeys will sharpen those qualities, while exposing them to new ways of thinking and doing. For FRF and FREF, the expectation is not only that scholars succeed academically, but that they return to South Africa ready to help build a more inclusive and sustainable country.

"Every scholarship we award is an investment in leadership,” Dr Gwagwa explains. “We are creating a pipeline of young South Africans who will help us tackle inequality, unlock opportunity and build the knowledge economy our country needs."