Stanbic Bank Botswana on Wednesday 14 October hosted the South and Central Africa chapter of Amplifying Growth, Standard Bank Group’s flagship programme to accelerate the growth of African businesses and unlock the continent’s economic potential. The gathering positioned Botswana at the centre of a regional conversation on entrepreneurship, enterprise development and Africa’s next wave of growth opportunities. More than 150 Business and Commercial Banking leaders and colleagues gathered in Gaborone, joined online by teams from Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and markets across the region.
Held under the theme Building Africa’s Next Generation of Businesses, the engagement follows the Amplifying Growth Summit in Johannesburg in June and the West Africa chapter in Accra in September. The discussions focused on how financial institutions can help African businesses scale faster, access new markets and build resilience in an increasingly competitive global economy.
Stanbic Bank Botswana Chief Executive, Chose Modise, said the choice of Gaborone as the host city carried particular meaning, coming just after Botswana’s Diamond Jubilee. “Africa’s progress begins with Africans, with the people who build enterprises, strengthen institutions and turn ideas into livelihoods,” said Modise. “Our role as a bank is to help that capability find the capital, connections and opportunity to grow. In Botswana we call the spirit behind that botho: dignity, mutual respect and care for one another. In banking, botho comes alive when we take the time to understand a client’s ambition and bring the right people together to help them achieve it.”
Modise said Botswana’s selection as host reflected the country’s growing influence as a stable investment destination and its ambition to become a diversified, knowledge-driven economy. The event also underscored Stanbic Bank Botswana’s role as a connector of opportunities, bringing together expertise, capital and market access from across the Standard Bank Group network.
The engagement comes as Botswana sets out an ambitious path to diversify its economy. The Botswana Economic Transformation Programme identifies 186 investment-ready projects, representing potential private investment of more than US$37 billion across energy, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and digital services. Turning that pipeline into working enterprises calls for exactly the combination Stanbic Bank Botswana brings. Serving the country since 1992, the bank pairs more than three decades of local insight and client relationships with the scale of Standard Bank Group, which has a presence in 21 African countries. That depth allows the bank to support businesses at every stage of growth, from working capital, supplier finance and trade solutions for small and medium enterprises to structured finance for large investments, and to connect clients in Botswana with markets, partners and sector expertise across the continent and beyond.
As part of Africa’s largest bank by assets, Stanbic Bank Botswana is uniquely positioned to help local businesses participate in regional value chains, expand beyond borders and access opportunities created by initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Across the duration of the Summit, leadership addresses explored what winning looks like for clients and Africa’s position as the next growth frontier, while client engagement sessions led by Enterprise and Commercial Banking teams from Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique shared practical experience from across the region. Delegates also exchanged insights on client-centric innovation, sustainable business growth and the practical steps required to build enduring African enterprises. Amplifying Growth continues across Standard Bank Group’s Africa Regions and offshore markets through to 2027.
Continued Modise, “Our ambition is for Stanbic Bank Botswana to be a proof point for Amplifying Growth: a market where the Group’s reach and our local insight come together to help citizen businesses scale, finance the projects that will transform our economy and connect enterprise here to opportunity across South and Central Africa. Botswana is our home, we drive her growth.”
