Women on the throne.. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Iron Lady of Africa

The title of Iron Lady may have been given to a number of powerful women who have ascended to the throne or practiced politics, but Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former President of the Republic of Liberia and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is considered the most deserving of this title on the African continent, given the challenges she has faced and the difficult path she has taken. She is the first elected female president on the continent, and with her she has led the country into an era of democracy.Birth and upbringing

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, on October 29, 1938. She received a distinguished education until she obtained her degree from the College of West Africa, then married James Sirleaf, and went to the United States in 1961 to study business administration at Madison College and Harvard University, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in public administration.

Although Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was educated in America and raised in American culture, her parents were born in the poor countryside of Liberia, so she is a Liberian woman influenced by American culture. She married at the age of seventeen and had four children, and became a housewife at an early age. In her early life, she worked a job in an auto repair shop in addition to her studies and caring for her family.Responsibilities and Functions

In 1972, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took over the Ministry of Finance in Liberia as an assistant minister, but she was always at odds; Due to a number of policies related to spending in the government, which made her resign after one year, then she was called to take over the Ministry of Finance in 1979 under President Tolbert, but it did not last more than a year, as the president was subjected to a coup carried out by Samuel Doe in 1980.

At that stage, Liberia witnessed hot and successive events, as President Tolbert was executed, and the new president Samuel Doe seized power, which made Ellen Johnson Sirleaf flee the country, specifically to the United States, where she worked in some jobs in banks and economic institutions before returning to Liberia in 1985.

After Ellen Sirleaf returned to Liberia in 1985, they treated her badly, as the government put her under house arrest and then brought her to trial and sentenced her to ten years in prison on many charges, most notably incitement to sedition, but great international pressure led the Liberian government to agree to release her, so that she could then participate in the parliamentary elections, but they also objected to the way they were conducted The elections, which were marred by widespread fraud and forced direction, led Ellen Sirleaf to reject parliamentary office.The Road to Governance

After withdrawing from the parliamentary elections, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf served in a number of positions, including President of the Liberian Development and Investment Bank, then worked in Kenya as Vice President of the African Regional Office for Citibank, then worked as Director of the United Nations Development Program in Africa, positions that helped Ellen Johnson Sirleaf gain a lot of experience at the economic and political levels, awareness of the situation in Africa, and understanding of economic problems, which prepared her for a greater role.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was chosen among seven figures to investigate the genocide that took place in Rwanda, and she was also commissioned by the United Nations and the African Union to submit an extensive report on the role of women in peacebuilding and the impact of conflict on them at that stage, and she was chosen as a member of the Council of Women Global Leaders, an international network of several high-level women working to resolve issues related to women in a fair manner.

In 1997, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ran for president, and was a strong contender for the presidency, but lost the race to Charles Taylor, who had earlier rebelled against the former president, making him a national hero in the eyes of many Liberians and greatly helping him in the presidential race.Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the Liberian government

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ran again for president in 2005, and her competitor at the time was Liberia's first star and former football player George Weah, who enjoyed overwhelming popularity, but she was able to present a conscious and promising program, and presented herself as an economic and political expert with extensive certificates and experience, while George Weah was a football player who did not complete his education, so Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the race, and became the first woman to win a democratic election to rule an African country ever.

Sirleaf's era was full of economic reforms, as she established a commission to resolve conflicts and reconciliation and repair the legacy of the civil war over 20 years, then implemented an economic program based on supporting social life and developing the Liberian economy and helping women and enhancing their status, in addition to her efforts to benefit from major countries by improving relations and establishing agreements, as she had major initiatives with both China and the United States.

The great impact of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's policies on life in Liberia was clear, which made her win a second presidential term in 2011, but it did not stop there, as she won with 90.7%, which means that the Liberian voter was very convinced of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in an election that ended with the withdrawal of her competitor Winston Tubman in the second round, after confirming the overwhelming victory of the head of state.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf put the Liberian people on the first path of development, freedom and equality, and her rule was a tremendous and inspiring experience for a number of peoples in the world, as well as inspiring women everywhere, especially in her war on corruption, promoting the principles of equality, and rejecting sectarianism, especially in a country that witnessed massive ethnic wars, which paved the way for those who came after her, which made her the focus of attention, respect and appreciation of the free world with its governments and institutions.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf remained in power until 2017, when elections were held in which the famous football player George Weah competed with Joseph Bokai. George Weah won the election, beginning a new era in the life of the Liberian people, as well as in the life of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's Journey Toll

After years of economic and political work and 12 years of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's rule of Liberia as the first woman to rule the country through democratic elections, the toll included a number of awards and medals, including for example:

The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Good Governance in Africa in 2018

The World Economics Prize in 2014.

The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor in 2012.

Honorary Doctorate from Harvard University in 2011.

Honorary Doctorate from Yale University in 2010.

The Order of the White Rose of Finland in 2009.

The Indira Gandhi Award in 2012

In addition to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf being chosen as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world in a poll conducted by the BBC in 2017.

Despite the importance of these awards and medals, the greatest award in Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's life is Sirleaf winning the Nobel Prize Peace Prize, awarded in 2011, for her efforts to promote democracy and women’s participation in Liberia after years of civil war that devastated the country. She shared the award with Liberian Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman, who both advocated for women’s rights and peace.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said that the Nobel Prize is a prize for all Liberians, and it is an international recognition of her people’s struggle and their right to freedom, justice and development after the war.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Legacy

The former president of Liberia left a number of legacies in addition to her extensive experience in leading the country, restoring security, promoting democracy and peace, and starting a path to development, including her widely read and widely successful book, This Child Will Be Great, an autobiography in which she talks about herself from her childhood to becoming president.

Ellen Sirleaf also founded and established the Ellen Sirleaf Center for Women and Development in 2008 with the aim of supporting and empowering women politically and socially, in addition to trying to increase women's representation in important and leadership roles in Liberian society and in Africa as well, and trying to provide training and work opportunities in a number of fields both in Liberia and abroad, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf still heads this center to this day.Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Quotes

- We all have a stake in the fight against Ebola, so we must unite and become one.

- Women work harder, women are safer, women have less reason to be corrupt.

- Your dreams must always be bigger than your current ability to achieve them, if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.

- Leadership is not handed to you on a silver platter, women must fight to win it.

- Race should enrich us, it should make us a people unique in our diversity, not accustomed to our division