The Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge Summit 2025, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sandton on 4 October 2025, marked a major milestone of 20 years of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation and a decade of the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge (AGEC). The event celebrated the Foundation’s ongoing mission to nurture young innovators and embed a culture of entrepreneurship in schools.

Hosted by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, the Summit brought together educators, learners, school leaders, and partners from across South Africa and the region. Mr Mathanzima Mweli, Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, delivered the keynote address, commending the Foundation’s collaboration with the education sector and its success in empowering learners to innovate, create, and lead.

This year, AGEC reached over 40,000 learners, who developed and pitched innovative business ideas, with the top three finalists recognised at the event. The programme also celebrated the contributions of e-cadres from the Basic Education Employment Initiative, whose efforts motivated learner participation nationwide.

Ms Maureen Modiba and Ms Waheeda Carvello were acknowledged by the CEO of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, Dr Nontobeko Mabizela, for their exceptional support and partnership in advancing entrepreneurship education through the Department of Basic Education.

Mr Mweli emphasised that entrepreneurship education is key to addressing youth unemployment and building critical 21st-Century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and resilience. He also noted AGEC’s expanding regional reach in Botswana, Eswatini, and Namibia, strengthening cross-border innovation among young entrepreneurs.

The evening closed with a renewed commitment to fostering creativity, innovation, and opportunity, proving once more that when talent meets opportunity, extraordinary things happen.