Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
First elected female head of state in Africa.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, born in Monrovia in 1938 to a Gola father and a mother of Kru and German ancestry, became the first elected female head of state in Africa when she assumed the presidency of Liberia in January 2006. Her father, the son of a minor Gola chief, was the first Liberian from an indigenous ethnic group elected to the national legislature, and her mother was raised by a prominent Americo-Liberian family. Though not of Americo-Liberian ancestry herself, Sirleaf is often considered culturally Americo-Liberian due to her upbringing and Western education. She attended the College of West Africa before marrying James Sirleaf at seventeen, with whom she had four sons. After suffering abuse, she divorced him in 1961. She then studied in the United States, earning an associate degree in accounting from Madison Business College and a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder, followed by a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School. Returning to Liberia, she served as Assistant Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert, resigning after a dispute over spending, and later became Minister of Finance from 1979 to 1980. Following Samuel Doe’s 1980 coup, which executed Tolbert, Sirleaf initially accepted a post in the new government but fled the country after publicly criticizing Doe. She worked for Citibank and the Equator Bank in the United States. Returning to Liberia in 1985, she ran for a Senate seat in a disputed election and was arrested for criticizing the military government, receiving a ten-year prison sentence before being released. She placed second in the 1997 presidential election won by Charles Taylor. Sirleaf won the presidency in 2005 and was re-elected in 2011. That same year, she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work involving women in peacekeeping. In 2016, she became the first woman to chair the Economic Community of West African States.
- field
- Politics, Economics
- nationality
- Liberian
- known_for
- First elected female head of state in Africa
Quick Facts
- Nickname
- The Iron Lady of Africa
- Office
- 24th President of Liberia
- Vice President
- Joseph Boakai
- Term Start
- 16 January 2006
- Term End
- 22 January 2018
- Predecessor
- Gyude Bryant
- Successor
- George Weah
- Office2
- Minister of Finance
- President2
- William Tolbert
- Term Start2
- 1979
- Term End2
- 12 April 1980
- Predecessor2
- James T. Phillips Jr.
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected President of Liberia in November 2005, becoming the first elected female head of state in Africa. During her first mandate, the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) operated, having been created in May 2005 under the Transitional Government. The TRC's final report, released on 1 July 2009, included Sirleaf on a list of persons recommended to be 'specifically barred from holding public offices; elected or appointed for a period of thirty (30) years' for 'being associated with former warring factions.' On 26 July, Sirleaf apologized to Liberia for supporting Charles Taylor, adding that 'when the true nature of Mr. Taylor's intentions became known, there was no more impassioned critic or strong opponent to him in a democratic process' than she. On 28 August, Liberia's parliament announced they must 'consult our constituents for about a year' before deciding whether to implement the Commission's recommendations. The Liberian Supreme Court later overturned the TRC's ruling on barring individuals from public office in the case Williams v. Tah, stating the recommendation was an unconstitutional violation of procedural due process.
Reader's Guide
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's significance is tied to her role as Liberia's president during the TRC process. The TRC was a Parliament-enacted organization created in May 2005 under the Transitional Government, and it worked throughout her first mandate after she was elected in November 2005. The TRC's final report recommended that Sirleaf be barred from public office for thirty years, a ruling later overturned by the Liberian Supreme Court. Sirleaf publicly apologized for supporting Charles Taylor, saying that once his true intentions became known, she became his strongest opponent. The TRC's impact locally was minimal; in January 2011, the Supreme Court ruled in Williams v. Tah that the TRC's recommendation on barring individuals from office was unconstitutional. The TRC's other recommendations have not been followed, lowering its local impact to essentially none. Only 39% of Liberians believed the TRC actually helped promote peace and unity in Liberia.
Did You Know?
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected President of Liberia in November 2005, becoming the first elected female head of state in Africa.
- The Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report recommended that Sirleaf be barred from public office for thirty years for being associated with former warring factions.
- On 26 July, Sirleaf apologized to Liberia for supporting Charles Taylor, stating that once his true intentions became known, she became his most impassioned critic and strong opponent.
- The Liberian Supreme Court overturned the TRC's ruling barring Sirleaf from public office, stating it was an unconstitutional violation of procedural due process.
- Only 39% of Liberians believed the TRC actually helped promote peace and unity in Liberia.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf?
She is a Liberian political figure who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018, becoming the first woman ever elected to lead a nation in Africa.
What makes her election historic in African politics?
Her 2005 victory marked the first time any woman on the African continent was elected as head of state, a milestone no other African country had reached at that point.
Why did she receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011?
The committee recognized her sustained work in drawing women into peacekeeping and conflict-resolution efforts, and she shared the award with fellow activists Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman.
What was her professional background before entering politics?
She built a long career in economics and international finance, including stints at the World Bank and the United Nations, before turning her full attention to Liberian governance.
How did her presidency conclude?
After serving two full terms spanning twelve years, she stepped down in January 2018, having guided Liberia through a period of post-war reconstruction and institutional rebuilding.
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