The Joyce Banda Foundation International
About Our Founder
Her Excellency, Dr. Joyce Hilda Banda is an Entrepreneur, Politician, Activist and Philanthropist.
She describes herself as an African Feminist, the African way. She is the current Chairperson of Women’s Empowerment and Development (WED) Africa – Asia and a Member of Committee of Elders (comprising of former and seating Female Heads Of State) at AU.
Before focusing on politics, Dr. Joyce Banda founded and directed various businesses and organizations, including a garment-manufacturing business, a bakery, the National Association of Business Women of Malawi, the Young Women Leaders Network, the Hunger Project, and the Joyce Banda Foundation, an organization dedicated to rural development and improving the lives of women and children.
Globally, she has been instrumental in the formation of the African Federation of Women Entrepreneurs (AFWE), currently running in 41 countries in Africa; the Council for the Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa (CEEWA); and the American & African Business Women’s Alliance (AABWA), of which she served as First President.
Dr. Banda became the first female President of the Republic of Malawi and the first female President of the SADC region in 2012, after serving as Vice President of the country. Her time in office saw to the growth of the Malawian Economy after mitigating the economic crisis during that time. She also prioritized Women’s rights, specifically, Maternal Health, Economic Empowerment and Access to education, building on her work, and the foundations work before the presidency.
She continues to be an outspoken champion of Women’s Rights, in Malawi, Africa and is globally awarded and recognized for her work towards advancing women’s rights.
She was named as one of the most powerful African Women by Forbes in 2012, and was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the most influential people globally in the same year. She is the recipient of several international awards including the “Hunger Project Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger” shared with President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique in 1997.
She sits on over 15 boards globally including the Executive Advisory Committee of UNIFEM, the Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, and the Scientific Advisory Board for the program in Global Health and Social Change at Harvard Medical School.