On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, Her Excellency, Dr Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi and one of Africa's leading voices on women's rights and equitable governance, visited the Warri Kingdom in Delta State, Nigeria, where she was received by His Royal Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, and Her Royal Majesty, Olori Atuwatse III.
During the visit, Dr Banda described what she witnessed in unmistakable terms: "I came to West Africa, and I witnessed a Real King. The King is indeed a Pan-Africanist." Her remarks framed the visit not as ceremony alone, but as a meeting between leadership traditions rooted in service, influence, and a shared commitment to Africa's future.
A Kingdom That Draws the World In
Dr Banda, current Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Global Fairness Initiative (GFI), was welcomed at Aghofen with the full cultural expression the Warri Kingdom reserves for those it holds in highest regard. Music, dance, and symbolic ceremony marked her arrival, not as performance, but as the living language of honour within the Kingdom.
What stood out was not only the dignity of the reception, but the ease with which it unfolded. An ancient institution and a modern global voice met in genuine conversation about the Africa they are both working to build.
Into the Foundation, Into the Work
From the palace, Dr Banda visited the Royal Iwere Foundation and stepped directly into the work shaping the Kingdom's development vision at community level. There, she sat with women enrolled in the EstablishHER Academy, women rebuilding their economic lives, expanding their entrepreneurial reach, and developing the resilience to lead through climate and food insecurity challenges.
She did not observe from a distance. She listened, asked questions, and engaged each story with care. For women who had spent months learning to believe in the scale of their own potential, the presence of a former Head of State who treated their journeys as worthy of full attention carried real significance.
The EstablishHER Programme, a flagship initiative of the Royal Iwere Foundation, equips women across the South-South with entrepreneurial tools, educational access, and practical climate resilience strategies designed to support long-term economic independence.
Africa's Progress Is Personal
Conversations between Dr Banda and Their Majesties returned repeatedly to a conviction they share: that Africa's future will be built not in boardrooms alone, but through deliberate and sustained investment in people, especially women and girls. Dr Banda's own journey, from classroom teacher to president to global advocate, stands as living proof of that belief.
Her endorsement of the Kingdom's work, and of His Majesty's Pan-Africanist vision in particular, carries weight because it comes from someone who has governed, faced the gap between political promise and community reality, and chosen to remain close to grassroots impact long after leaving office.
A Closing and a Beginning
Dr Banda's visit marked the close of the EstablishHER Academy's inaugural entrepreneurial cohort. The women she met stepped forward not only with skills and networks, but with the memory of having been seen by greatness in the place they call home.
As the Academy prepared to open a new cohort on March 6, 2026, the visit underscored something deeper: the Warri Kingdom does not simply host the world's leaders. It changes what those encounters mean for the leaders and for the people they meet here.
Moments from the Visit
Highlights from Dr Joyce Banda's visit to the Warri Kingdom and her engagement with the EstablishHER Academy.
