Joyce Banda – Malawi
Malawi’s first female president and the only second woman to lead a country in Africa took over power following the death of 78-year-old President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office. Banda has not been in her country since 2014 when she lost her re-election bid. Many have attributed this to attempt by her opponents to implicate her in a multimillion-pound “Cashgate” corruption scandal.
The former Malawian president is now a member of Club de Madrid, an assembly of former presidents and prime ministers who continue to support and foster democratic values and leadership. She has, basically, gone back to her activist roots, and this is what she has been pursuing since she left power.