Statecraft & Independence
Peerless
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
born 1938
Africa's first elected woman head of state, and a Nobel Peace laureate
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the Liberia Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
She became the first woman democratically elected to lead an African country, took office in a state wrecked by civil war, and shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on women's rights.
Sirleaf served as finance minister under Samuel Doe in the early 1980s before a long period in exile and opposition. She won the presidency in 2005, inheriting a country ruined by fourteen years of civil war.
The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Sirleaf, her compatriot Leymah Gbowee and Yemen's Tawakkol Karman, "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work".
The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Sirleaf, her compatriot Leymah Gbowee and Yemen's Tawakkol Karman, "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work".
- The Nobel Prize — Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, facts
- The Nobel Prize — 2011 Peace Prize press release
- Britannica — Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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