Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – Liberia
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will forever be remembered as the first woman to be voted into the higher seat of government. In 2006, she took up the responsibility as 24th president of Liberia and the first female president in the country and in Africa. Ellen Johnson stayed in office until 2018 handing over the presidency to George Weah, the former international footballer. Before elevating women representation in Africa, Ellen Johnson prioritized on her education, attending Harvard University and focusing on establishing her career in whatever field she found herself at all times. Ellen married James Sirleaf when she was only 17 and divorced him later in 1961 due to marital violence and abuse. Shortly before she became a president, she was working as an associate professor of Governance at the Ghana Institute of Professional Studies (GIMPA) in Ghana. Aside from teaching, she has also worked in a bank and with the United Nations.
