Peace, Justice & Effective Institutions
Join president, advocate, and humanitarian DR. JOYCE BANDA as she offers profound wisdom on fostering peace, justice, and effective institutions by drawing on her extensive experience in governance and diplomacy.
Cross-Continental Trade: Evolving Eastern-Western Partnerships
Explore the evolving landscape of cross-continental trade with Malawi’s former president DR. JOYCE BANDA, who sheds light on forging partnerships between Eastern and Western nations to drive economic growth and cooperation. Reflecting on the nuances of each region, Dr. Banda provides a perspective derived from her direct experiences.
Political Navigation as a Woman in a Male-Dominated World
Gain invaluable insights from Malawi’s first female president DR. JOYCE BANDA on navigating the complexities of politics as a woman in a male-dominated world, inspiring empowerment across the whole organization and advocating for continuing strides towards gender equality.
The Nuances of Political Communication
Former President of Malawi DR. JOYCE BANDA shares the nuances of political communication by providing actionable strategies for effective messaging and engagement in the ever-shifting landscape of public discourse. As the first female president of Malawi and a profound world leader in sustainable development in women’s rights, Dr. Banda is uniquely experienced in effective, hands-on political communication.
African Continental Unity
Former President of Malawi DR. JOYCE BANDA champions African continental unity, offering visionary perspectives and actionable strategies to strengthen cooperation and solidarity across the diverse nations of the African continent.
Climate Justice and African Sustainable Development
Join former President of Malawi DR. JOYCE BANDA in the fight for climate justice and a pivot toward sustainable development in Africa by learning from her impact and experiences. Dr. Banda highlights the urgent need for environmental activism and equitable growth on the continent while laying out a realistic path forward for the global community.
Former President of Malawi Dr. Joyce Banda is a global voice on supply chains, natural resources, and climate change
Former President of Malawi DR. JOYCE BANDA is an expert on the interconnectedness of agriculture, supply chains, and natural resources; one-third of Malawi’s GDP is agriculture, and around 70% of the nation’s main exports include tobacco, tea, and cane sugar.
Fortune Magazine tapped President Banda for a conversation on agriculture, supply chains, and climate change. President Banda offered, “Africa’s food systems are in danger of failing due to high debt and climate change. A new financial pact can reverse this.”
Watch Dr. Joyce Banda speak at the Center for Global Development >>
Watch Dr. Joyce Banda’s keynote at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs >>
Event Success Story: Dr. Joyce Banda enlightens George Washington University
Former President of Malawi DR. JOYCE BANDA spoke to students and faculty at George Washington University about her tenure as a female political leader, global women’s issues, advocacy for marginalized groups around the world, and African politics at large. Dr. Banda provided the George Washington University community with a perspective on female leadership on the global stage as one of the foremost leaders of Africa, let alone in the world, and advocate for the empowerment of women and marginalized groups in a variety of contexts. George Washington University’s event planner said, “Everyone in attendance loved President Banda's appearance and was captivated by her speech.”
Watch Dr. Joyce Banda’s keynote at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs >>
Joyce Banda is a powerful voice on women's rights
First female Preisdent of Malawi, and the second in Africa, Dr. JOYCE BANDA is a passionate advocate for expanding women's leadership around the world- from within their own homes to executive offices to chambers of government. A member of the United Nation's Council of Women World Leaders and Founder of the National Association of Business Women in Malawi, a nonprofit that aims to lift women out of poverty through economic empowerment, Banda has dedicated her life's work to women's empowerment. Sought-out to speak everywhere from We Day to the Simmons Leadership Conference to Brown University, Banda receives rave reviews such as:"President Banda was amazing," (WE Day) and "Everyone in attendance loved President Banda's appearance and was captivated by her speech." (George Washington University)
An entrepreneur, activist, politician, and philanthropist, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda is Former President of the Republic of Malawi, having ruled Malawi from 2012 -2014. She is Malawi’s first female president and Africa’s second. Voted as Africa's most powerful woman by Forbes magazine for two years running and voted as one of the most powerful women in the world, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda is a champion for the rights of women, children, and the disabled and other marginalized groups.
Before becoming President of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda served as a Member of Parliament, Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, Foreign Minister, and Vice President of the Republic of Malawi. While serving as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, Dr. Joyce Banda championed the enactment of the Prevention of Domestic Violence Bill in 2006, which provides a legal framework and instrument for the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.
President Banda is credited for turning around Malawi’s ailing economy, which was on the verge of collapse when she became president in April 2012. She instituted a number of economic reforms which did not only bring the economy back on the right track but also saw the economy growing from 1.8% in 2012 to over 6.2 % in 2014; improved the operational industrial capacity from 35% in 2012 to 85% in July 2014; enhanced Malawi’s foreign exchange import cover from one week in 2014 to three and half months in July 2014; and also turned around Malawi’s fuel cover from 1 day in 2014 to 15 days in 2014 at any given time. In the areas of democracy, President Banda repealed a number of draconian laws that infringed on people’s civil liberties, media freedom and weakened institutions of good governance and rule of law.
Dr. Joyce Banda’s unwavering commitment to the promotion of women’s maternal health and reproductive rights saw her establish the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood which spearheaded the fight against high maternal mortality and the promotion of safe motherhood in Malawi. Remarkably during the two year period of her presidency, Malawi registered considerable success in the areas of maternal and child health and reproductive health in general as the country reduced the maternal mortality ratio from 675 deaths per 100,000 live births to 460. This achievement is attributed to the model which President Banda introduced, which was a balanced act of both traditional and technical dimensions and approaches.
Staying fast to her humanitarian convictions, President Banda sold the multi-million dollar presidential jet and donated 30% of her salary to Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA), an organization for people with disabilities during her two years of presidency.
A recipient of more than 15 international accolades including the “Hunger Project Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger” shared with President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique in 1997, President Banda is a strong advocate for women and girls’ emancipation and empowerment and a prominent civil rights campaigner. She founded Joyce Banda Foundation International, which has guided projects from empowering women to providing education for orphans. Currently Joyce Banda Foundation International has benefited over 1.3 million people in Malawi through various programs and interventions ranging from economic empowerment, agriculture and food security, education, water and sanitation, and youth development, just to mention a few. Among many other organizations, she 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.
On the international scene, President Banda was instrumental in the formation of such organizations as African Federation of Women Entrepreneurs (AFWE) currently running in 41 countries in Africa, Council for the Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa (CEEWA) and Americans & Africans Business Women’s Alliance (AABWA) of which she served as First President.
President Banda sits on a number of international organization bodies. These include the Executive Advisory Committee of UNIFEM, Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, and Scientific Advisory Board of the Programs in Global Health and Social Change for Harvard Medical School. Continuing her tireless work encouraging women to enter political office and championing the rights of women and the disenfranchised, Dr. Banda has taken on a Distinguished Visiting Fellowship at the Center for Global Development, jointly with the Woodrow Wilson Center, where she brings her invaluable experiences as a woman in African politics.
President 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.
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