Ellen Johnson Sirleaf —Maybe you’ve heard her name before. Maybe her songs have been sung in your ears sometimes ago. But this woman is a force to reckon with, an epitome of fairness and prudence. She was the first female President Africa would ever produce, and to attain that position wasn’t easy. She struggled her way through, with all the negative opposition forces trying to pull her back.
You know the challenges we have in Africa about women and leadership, this woman stood tall and changed the narrative about women in leadership. She brought unity, education, reforms, and transformation in Liberia.
You would think she started off life as a politically-inclined career woman, but no, she did not. She married at the age of seventeen and had four sons. She had to continue her education, even as a married woman. She juggled going to school with taking care of her children. When she finished her education, she entered into politics.
It’s not hard to know women who are agents of change— they are not satisfied with the status quo and don’t mind changing it. They can go as far as taking the helm of leadership and unseat injustice and inequality.
Her fairness to justice was revealed when she refused to take the legislative position they claimed she won from an unfair election. She called for the election rerun but the authority refused. So she decided not to take that position. She kept pushing and vying for opportunity to serve her country.
Meanwhile, she had a big goal in mind, she wanted to become the number one citizen in the country. She has been unsatisfied with the way government is being run and so many things that needed to be fixed especially the issue of disunity and breakdown during and after the civil wars. She was also discontented with the issue of discrimination against women. She set up different organizations and institutions that cater for women care and empowerment, and justice for women and gender equality.
After losing couple of times, in 2005, she was elected as the first female president of Liberia and in the entire Africa. She brought reforms in both government and the lives of people. She settled most of the nation’s debts, gave free education, and increased foreign relations. She enacted freedom of speech act and fundamental human rights. She was awarded a Nobel peace price in 2011. And few days after the award, she was re-elected as the President for the 2nd term in office.
In June 2016, during her 2nd term in office, she was elected as the Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), making her the first woman to hold that position since it was created in May, 1975.
She has been named as one of the most powerful women in the world, and also one of the best leaders in the world.
In 2018, she founded the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development. An organization targeted at developing and empowering women in Africa for global impact.
She has received several awards and honors and her impact will continue to be felt all across Africa and indeed, the world.
She wrote a book titled — This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of A Remarkable Life By Africa’s First Woman President (Published 2010).
Reference: Online Resources
Share your story!
To order for my new book on HOW TO BECOME AN AUTHOR, follow this link: https://www.amazon.com/HOW-BECOME-AUTHOR-Easiest-Write-ebook/dp/B09F3VZ242/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=how+to+become+an+author&qid=1631326002&sr=8-11
Suggested Articles:
1) Why Must You Read? https://sopiensofgod.blogspot.com/2020/08/why-you-must-read.html
2) 15 Reasons Why You Must Have Your Own Book: https://sopiensofgod.blogspot.com/2020/09/15-reasons-why-you-must-have-your-own.html
3) Your Life Is A Principle: https://sopiensofgod.blogspot.com/2020/09/your-life-is-principle.html
No comments:
Post a Comment