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Empowering Advisers, Elevating Africa

ARTICLE BY

  • Kershen Pillay
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • GIFS

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One of the most significant outcomes of South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025 was the Declaration on Education, which underscored a simple but powerful principle: no African learner must be left behind.

The Global Goals 2030: Africa Scholarship, endorsed by the United Nations Development Programme and delivered exclusively by the Graduate Institute of Financial Sciences (GIFS), is designed to make that principle real. For the financial services industry, it represents both an opportunity and a responsibility: to invest in the continent’s youngest workforce and to ensure that skills development aligns with the evolving needs of our sector.

Why it matters to advisers and brokers

Workforce pipeline: With 60% of Africa’s population under 25, the continent is the world’s youngest. By 2050, more than a quarter of the global workforce will come from Africa. Advisers and brokers will be serving clients in a market shaped by this demographic surge.

Access gap: Only 9% of young Africans currently access tertiary education. The scholarship directly addresses this gap, widening access to accredited qualifications that build financial literacy, advisory skills and sector-specific expertise.

Employer advantage: Macro employers benefit from fee reductions of 60-70% on courses offered locally and internationally. For brokers and advisers, this translates into a stronger talent pool, better-skilled employees and clients who are empowered to make informed financial decisions.

Flexibility and speed: Courses are asynchronous, accredited and free of bureaucratic delays. That means employees can study while working and employers can quickly verify qualifications; a critical factor in financial services where compliance and certification are non-negotiable.

Leadership and vision

Dr Kershen Pillay, CEO of GIFS, has emphasised that rhetoric must give way to action: “As business leaders, we can no longer afford to simply opine about what we feel ought to be done. The time for doing is now.”

For advisers, this is a call to align professional practice with Africa’s broader development agenda. The scholarship is proudly supported by its patron, Phumzile Mlambo‑Ngcuka, South Africa’s former Deputy President and former Executive Director of United Nations Women, whose association underscores the initiative’s commitment to expanding access to world-class education across the continent.

The FIA opportunity

For financial advisers and brokers, the scholarship is more than philanthropy; it’s a strategic investment. By supporting employees through this programme, firms not only elevate workplace know-how but also strengthen the advisory profession’s credibility and relevance in Africa’s growth story. With over 3 300 students enrolled thus far, within the first two cohorts, the Global Goals 2030: Africa Scholarship is slowly making inroads into the continent’s education challenge.

The Global Goals 2030: Africa Scholarship is a chance to redefine the advice profession’s legacy. By investing in education today, the industry positions itself as a catalyst for Africa’s economic transformation tomorrow. Each learner supported through this programme represents not only an empowered employee but also a future client, entrepreneur or leader who will shape the financial landscape. In choosing to champion this scholarship, advisers and brokers are not simply building portfolios, they are building futures, and in doing so, securing Africa’s place at the heart of global prosperity.

The Global Goals 2030: Africa Scholarship is not just an education initiative. It’s a blueprint for how the financial services industry can lead in shaping Africa’s future, one adviser, one broker and one learner at a time.

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