Three of Ellen Johnson's grandparents were of native Liberian
descent; her paternal grandfather was a traditional chief of
the Gola people. Her maternal grandfather was a German
merchant who left the country during the First World War.
Ellen Johnson's mother was a teacher, her father an attorney,
and the first indigenous Liberian to serve in the country's
legislature, a body long dominated by the descendants of
the American settlers. Her parents placed a high value on
education, and young Ellen received her secondary education
at the prestigious College of West Africa in Monrovia, the
nation's capital.
In 1992, Sirleaf joined the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP). The
first woman to run the UN's development
program for Africa, she served for five
years as Assistant Administrator and
Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau
of Africa, holding the title of Assistant
Secretary-General of the United Nations.
In 2005, she accepted the nomination
of the Unity Party as its candidate for
President of Liberia in the country's first
truly free election. Sirleaf placed second
in the first round of voting, but won the
runoff decisively, with 59 percent of the
vote. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf was sworn in as the 24th President
of Liberia. She is the first elected female
Head of State in African history.
Sirleaf spent the next five years repairing
the damage done by 25 years of violence
and misrule. From its peak of prosperity,
prior to the 1980 coup, Liberia had
become one of the world's poorest
nations, beset by illiteracy, hunger and
pandemic unemployment. In her first
years in office, Sirleaf negotiated the
lifting of international trade sanctions
against Liberia, and complete forgiveness
of the country's crushing external debt.
Source: www.achievement.org
w
By executive order, Sirleaf
established a right to free,
universal elementary education.
President Sirleaf has also enforced
equal rights for women, rights
that were routinely ignored
and abused during the chaotic
years of civil war. Among other
infrastructure projects, the Sirleaf
administration has built over
800 miles of roads, attracting
substantial foreign investment in
mining, agriculture and forestry,
as well as offshore oil exploration.
President Sirleaf has placed a
high importance on African and
regional relations as well. w
"The size of your dreams
must always exceed your
current capacity to achieve
them. If your dreams do
not scare you, they are not
big enough."
Source: www.achievement.org
W H O 'S W H O 2 0 1 3 | 15
