In the midst of JB-mania, it is hard to look beyond the striking physical change that a female president has brought to the continent’s political landscape. I sit on an uncomfortable fence, watching this scene, as I cautiously celebrate that my president is a woman. I have heard statements from people on either side.

It is important to affirm the achievements of women like JB, who transcend the shackles of patriarchy. Yet I feel that the fixation on Banda’s gender is also a double-edged sword. The emphasis placed on our president as a woman is discomfiting because it is easy for (sexist) critics to flip the script and use JB’s gender as a scapegoat for any faults of the government. In order to achieve gender equality in Africa, we need to start seeing JB as more than a woman.

 The gorgeous, statuesque Joyce is a mix-and-match master with a soft spot for Thakoon and Jason Wu. In terms of heightened fashion-biz buzz, the First Lady is well on her way to leaving a stylish legacy.

At a recent Farm-to-Table lunch for spouses of World Leaders, Mrs.Joyce Banda played host in a pastel floral dress with metallic silver flats.

Mrs.Joyce Banda spoke with Prince Albert of Monaco at a reception in Copenhagen in bright gold Rodarte dress. Her accessories — three sparkly brooches, gold earrings, and bangles — completed the festive look. 

Joyce Banda· joyce banda malawi news· malawi new president· malawi president joyce banda· malawi president joyce banda biography· malawian president· President Joyce Banda

5 Fashion Statement of President Joyce Banda

In the midst of JB-mania, it is hard to look beyond the striking physical change that a female president has brought to the continent’s political landscape. I sit on an uncomfortable fence, watching this scene, as I cautiously celebrate that my president is a woman. I have heard statements from people on either side.

It is important to affirm the achievements of women like JB, who transcend the shackles of patriarchy. Yet I feel that the fixation on Banda’s gender is also a double-edged sword. The emphasis placed on our president as a woman is discomfiting because it is easy for (sexist) critics to flip the script and use JB’s gender as a scapegoat for any faults of the government. In order to achieve gender equality in Africa, we need to start seeing JB as more than a woman.

 The gorgeous, statuesque Joyce is a mix-and-match master with a soft spot for Thakoon and Jason Wu. In terms of heightened fashion-biz buzz, the First Lady is well on her way to leaving a stylish legacy.

At a recent Farm-to-Table lunch for spouses of World Leaders, Mrs.Joyce Banda played host in a pastel floral dress with metallic silver flats.

Mrs.Joyce Banda spoke with Prince Albert of Monaco at a reception in Copenhagen in bright gold Rodarte dress. Her accessories — three sparkly brooches, gold earrings, and bangles — completed the festive look. 

Most African women are taught to endure abusive marriages. They say endurance means a good wife but most women endure abusive relationship because they are not empowered economically; they depend on their husbands.

What I am saying every day to Malawians is that time has come for us to move from aid to trade. We have picked several sectors that we think we can focus on immediately in order for us to grow our economy. So we have decided to diversify agriculture, we decided to develop our tourism sector, we have decided to develop our mining sector.

It's heavy, but I am able to carry it. Why? Because I'm an African woman. An African woman carries heavy loads anyway. That's how we are trained; we are brought up that nothing is unbearable. I use that now, positively. I use that now to have the thick skin that I have, and not fear, and move forward, and push; and push forward.

When I took over, the economy had almost collapsed. I told Malawians we needed to pass through difficult times. Two days ago I even cut my own salary by 30% to show we are making sacrifices.

I sat down in 1989 and I made up my mind at that point that I was going to spend the rest of my life assisting women and youth to gain social and political empowerment through business and education. I convinced myself economic empowerment of women was going to be key, especially in a country like this where most women didn't go to school.

Overall, I have formed three major organizations: the National Association of Business Women, the Young Women's Leaders Network, and the Joyce Banda Foundation. Under the foundation, we have a huge program that targets women to teach them about HIV and other diseases and to give them economic empowerment.

When I gave birth to my fourth child, I suffered from post partum hemorrhaging. I almost lost my life. I was lucky to be under the care of trained health care personnel. I started wondering then what was happening to women in rural villages.

I got married at 22 and remained in an abusive marriage for 10 years. I made up my mind that that was never going to happen to me again. I made a brave step to walk out in a society when you didn't walk out of an abusive marriage. It was mental and physical abuse.

In 1989, I started the National Association of Business Women. We incorporated microfinance and different job training for women. We did a survey, with USAID, that found women lacked training, credit and information.

I will forever be thankful to the Malawians and international community, and my professional army and army general, who said: 'No, we will follow the constitution.' That's why I'm here.

When I gave birth to my fourth child, I suffered from post partum hemorrhaging. I almost lost my life. I was lucky to be under the care of trained health care personnel. I started wondering then what was happening to women in rural villages.

President Joyce Banda

Joyce Banda· joyce banda malawi news· malawi new president· malawi president joyce banda· malawi president joyce banda biography· malawian president· President Joyce Banda

10 Best Quote by President Joyce Banda

Most African women are taught to endure abusive marriages. They say endurance means a good wife but most women endure abusive relationship because they are not empowered economically; they depend on their husbands.

What I am saying every day to Malawians is that time has come for us to move from aid to trade. We have picked several sectors that we think we can focus on immediately in order for us to grow our economy. So we have decided to diversify agriculture, we decided to develop our tourism sector, we have decided to develop our mining sector.

It's heavy, but I am able to carry it. Why? Because I'm an African woman. An African woman carries heavy loads anyway. That's how we are trained; we are brought up that nothing is unbearable. I use that now, positively. I use that now to have the thick skin that I have, and not fear, and move forward, and push; and push forward.

When I took over, the economy had almost collapsed. I told Malawians we needed to pass through difficult times. Two days ago I even cut my own salary by 30% to show we are making sacrifices.

I sat down in 1989 and I made up my mind at that point that I was going to spend the rest of my life assisting women and youth to gain social and political empowerment through business and education. I convinced myself economic empowerment of women was going to be key, especially in a country like this where most women didn't go to school.

Overall, I have formed three major organizations: the National Association of Business Women, the Young Women's Leaders Network, and the Joyce Banda Foundation. Under the foundation, we have a huge program that targets women to teach them about HIV and other diseases and to give them economic empowerment.

When I gave birth to my fourth child, I suffered from post partum hemorrhaging. I almost lost my life. I was lucky to be under the care of trained health care personnel. I started wondering then what was happening to women in rural villages.

I got married at 22 and remained in an abusive marriage for 10 years. I made up my mind that that was never going to happen to me again. I made a brave step to walk out in a society when you didn't walk out of an abusive marriage. It was mental and physical abuse.

In 1989, I started the National Association of Business Women. We incorporated microfinance and different job training for women. We did a survey, with USAID, that found women lacked training, credit and information.

I will forever be thankful to the Malawians and international community, and my professional army and army general, who said: 'No, we will follow the constitution.' That's why I'm here.

When I gave birth to my fourth child, I suffered from post partum hemorrhaging. I almost lost my life. I was lucky to be under the care of trained health care personnel. I started wondering then what was happening to women in rural villages.

President Joyce Banda

President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda when she took office in April 2012 made rural electrification as her undying mission to development.

President Dr. Joyce Banda has always emphasized in most of her speeches that rural electrification is a key to economic development of the country.

This undying mission of rural electrification in Malawi made President and the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to officially switch on the Kambwiri Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) Phase 7 in Salima.

President Dr. Joyce Banda in the official switch on ceremony said more employment opportunities would be created through the rural electrification as factories and businesses will be established in the rural areas where the large population is located.

“The importance of rural electrification and the switch on ceremony of Kambwiri Trading Centre in particular, cannot be overemphasized. This electricity is going to attract industries that will provide jobs to the people,” she said.

She also mentioned projects such as Malawi Mango Project, Greenbelt Project and Tourism Project as some of the on-going projects that required electricity.

“Malawi has been facing challenges in the energy sector. This has hindered development, however, my Government has prioritized the energy sector to transform our rural areas whereby transforming the lives of our people as well,” Banda added.

The Malawi vibrant leader further said MAREP would help to empower the girl child to concentrate on education.

“This project will help alleviate some of the social ills. It will help the girl child to study any time of the day. In addition, the girl child will be eased from the burden of going around in the bushes collecting firewood,” Banda said.

She said that the recent survey had established that only nine percent of Malawi population has access to electricity and most people rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking.

In her speech, President Sirleaf over the official switch on ceremony when she visited Malawi said she came to honor a person whose honor was greatly deserved.

She said President Banda is one of the leaders that were working hard to make Africa a better place to live in.

“I will carry what President Banda has done to uplift her country and what she has done in women empowerment when I will be returning back to Liberia,” said Sirleaf.

She said Banda became a leader because she worked hard, saying it was not because of her beautiful looks, beautiful style of dressing or someone else’s favour’s.

Traditional Authority Kambwiri said he was grateful for the electricity in his area.

“This was the time first such a project was being launched in my area. This shows the love that President Dr. Joyce Banda has for us,” he said.

Kambwiri, who gave two goats to the two Presidents asked for the extension of the electricity project to cover the remaining villages in his area.

Meanwhile, MAREP phase seven will see electricity being switched on in 27 Trading Centre’s across Malawi.

joyce banda malawi news· malawi new president· malawi president joyce banda· malawi president joyce banda biography· malawian president· President Joyce Banda

President Joyce Banda Makes Rural Electrification Her Undying Mission

President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda when she took office in April 2012 made rural electrification as her undying mission to development.

President Dr. Joyce Banda has always emphasized in most of her speeches that rural electrification is a key to economic development of the country.

This undying mission of rural electrification in Malawi made President and the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to officially switch on the Kambwiri Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) Phase 7 in Salima.

President Dr. Joyce Banda in the official switch on ceremony said more employment opportunities would be created through the rural electrification as factories and businesses will be established in the rural areas where the large population is located.

“The importance of rural electrification and the switch on ceremony of Kambwiri Trading Centre in particular, cannot be overemphasized. This electricity is going to attract industries that will provide jobs to the people,” she said.

She also mentioned projects such as Malawi Mango Project, Greenbelt Project and Tourism Project as some of the on-going projects that required electricity.

“Malawi has been facing challenges in the energy sector. This has hindered development, however, my Government has prioritized the energy sector to transform our rural areas whereby transforming the lives of our people as well,” Banda added.

The Malawi vibrant leader further said MAREP would help to empower the girl child to concentrate on education.

“This project will help alleviate some of the social ills. It will help the girl child to study any time of the day. In addition, the girl child will be eased from the burden of going around in the bushes collecting firewood,” Banda said.

She said that the recent survey had established that only nine percent of Malawi population has access to electricity and most people rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking.

In her speech, President Sirleaf over the official switch on ceremony when she visited Malawi said she came to honor a person whose honor was greatly deserved.

She said President Banda is one of the leaders that were working hard to make Africa a better place to live in.

“I will carry what President Banda has done to uplift her country and what she has done in women empowerment when I will be returning back to Liberia,” said Sirleaf.

She said Banda became a leader because she worked hard, saying it was not because of her beautiful looks, beautiful style of dressing or someone else’s favour’s.

Traditional Authority Kambwiri said he was grateful for the electricity in his area.

“This was the time first such a project was being launched in my area. This shows the love that President Dr. Joyce Banda has for us,” he said.

Kambwiri, who gave two goats to the two Presidents asked for the extension of the electricity project to cover the remaining villages in his area.

Meanwhile, MAREP phase seven will see electricity being switched on in 27 Trading Centre’s across Malawi.