Rupiah Banda's Net Worth, Background, And Political Career

Rupiah Bwezani Banda was a former head of state of Zambia having served as the fourth president between 2008-2011.

Here is a look at the late Rupiah Banda’s net worth, his background and education, his career as a diplomat and politician, and details about his death.

According to several online sources, the late Rupiah Banda’s net worth was estimated at between $3 million and $5 million.

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Rupiah Banda was born on 19 February 1937 in Gwanda, Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia) where his parents- Bwezani and Sarah Banda had gone to look for employment before his birth.

He was brought up in Zimbabwe where he was sponsored by a local Dutch Reformed Church pastor and later by the family of B. R. Naik who were well-off financially.

Banda was a bright student and excelled in his education from his younger days. He studied at Munali Secondary School where he joined the Zambian African National Congress (ZANC).

He performed exceptionally well in secondary school and he earned a scholarship to study at the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. He also performed very well academically and earned another scholarship from the International Union of Students to study Economic History at Sweden’s prestigious Lund University and earned a Bachelor's degree in 1964.

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While still studying in Sweden, Banda’s political awareness peaked and he left ZANC with their moderate approach and joined Kenneth Kaunda’s United National Independence Party (UNIP) youth wing.

As a student in Sweden, Banda served as UNIP’s Representative to Northern Europe and he helped spread awareness about UNIP’s course and secured scholarships for some Zambian students.

After graduation, Banda returned to Zambia where he studied Diplomacy and International Relations at the National Institute for Public Affairs (NIPA).

In 1965, Rupiah Banda was appointed as an Ambassador to Egypt. He served in Egypt until 1967 after which he was appointed to serve as an Ambassador to the U.S for two years.

After serving in the U.S, Banda returned to Zambia to serve as the Chief Executive of the Rural Development Corporation.

In 1970, he was appointed to the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBOARD) as the CEO. 

He was appointed as the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York in 1974 and he also served as the U.N. Council for Namibia during this period.

After one year in the U.N, Rupiah Banda was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1975.

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In 1978, Rupiah Banda was elected as the Munali constituency member of parliament under UNIP. Munali was the largest constituency in Zambia at the time and comprised modern-day Munali and Lusaka central constituencies. He lost his seat in 1983

When President Levy Mwanawasa was elected for his second term in 2006, he appointed Banda as his vice president and was entrusted with improving the relations with neighboring Zimbabwe.

In 2008, President Mwanawasa suffered a stroke while in Egypt and Banda became the acting president. Mwanawasa died in August 2008 while receiving hospitalization in Paris, France and Banda was elected as president in October 2008.

After three years in power, Banda lost his presidency in 2011 to Patriotic Front’s (PF) Michael Satta and he retired from active politics.

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Former President Banda died on 11 March 2022 following a long battle with Colon cancer. He was 85 years old at the time of death.

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