Biography
Sworn in as the first female president of the Republic of Malawi on April 7, 2012, President Joyce Banda is a champion for women, children, and the underprivileged, hailed as one of Africa's most powerful women by Forbes magazine.
Following her expulsion from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) under then-President Bingu wa Mutharika in 2011, Banda formed the People's Party (PP) and was elected president following Mutharika's death.
Staying fast to her humanitarian convictions, President Banda sold the multi-million dollar presidential jet, called for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he entered Malawi, and encouraged the repeal of Malawi's laws criminalizing homosexuality.
A strong advocate for the rights of children and women since the '90s, she founded the Joyce Banda Foundation International, which has guided projects from empowering women to providing orphans education. Among many other projects, she has also established the National Association of Business Women, which lends women start-up cash to build small businesses, and the Young Women's Leadership Network, which mentors female students in schools.
President Joyce Banda has been a panelist and motivation speaker at a number of international conferences and forums, including the International Conference on Women in Beijing, the American and African Business Women's Africa Conference in London, and the Women Deliver Conference in Washington, DC.
