Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize as a champion of women ’ s rights , is stepping down after making history as Africa’ s first elected female president in Liberia .
Taking the reins of a nation that had just emerged from a civil war leaving an estimated 250, 000 dead , Sirleaf will be remembered for maintaining peace and attracting massive donor funding as she rebuilt her country from scratch over 12 years in power .
“ We were a nation exhausted from three decades of conflict . We were starting from zero , with the complete destruction of our national infrastructure, a collapsed economy , and a state incapable of providing services to its people , ” she recalled of her 2006 inauguration in a final speech to the nation on Wednesday .
She will on Monday hand power to former international footballer George Weah , representing the West African country ’ s first democratic transfer of power since 1944 , and will leave behind a mixed record of peace and freedom of speech cherished by the population, but stubbornly low living standards .
Sirleaf, 79 , presided over the 2014 - 16 Ebola crisis during which more than 4 , 000 Liberians died , and struggled to counter the effects of plunging commodity prices in a nation highly dependent on exports of iron ore and rubber .
She also weathered regional crises in West Africa, most notably as a mediator during The Gambia ’ s 2016 - 17 political crisis , when President Yahya Jammeh stubbornly refused to stand down after losing an election.
Sirleaf noted in her final address that Liberia “ reflects the changing face of the continent , where rule of law , human rights , good governance , and accountability are demanded by its citizens . This is Africa’ s future , and Liberia is one of its enviable democracies. ”
– Massive expectations –
Sirleaf made use of her international cachet as a Harvard - trained economist , former finance minister and an executive at the World Bank to get a massive chunk of Liberia ’ s debt written off in 2007 .
Sirleaf also attracted investments in the mining , agriculture and forestry sectors and offshore oil exploration .
Her high profile abroad as a symbol of post -war reconstruction has not saved her from messy politics at home , where she has faced criticism over the absence of prosecutions for war criminals , and allegations of nepotism surrounding the employment of her sons .
“ When Ellen came to power , the expectation of the Liberian people was high , so high that she could not meet up with such expectation , ” said political science professor Emmanuel Nimely .
“That does not mean that she did not try , she did try but could just not do it all. ”
Half of the roads around Monrovia have been rebuilt and the capital now has running water. Electricity , once non -existent here , is available in some parts of the city but the supply is still haphazard .
Yet unemployment is still high and extreme poverty pervasive. Most Liberian children do not finish school .
She herself told journalists last week there were “ more things we wanted to do ” , adding that her agenda was “more expansive than what we ’ ve achieved ” .
– Backing Charles Taylor –
Turning around Africa’ s oldest independent state — first founded for freed US slaves — where institutions had become rotten to the core, was never going to be easy .
Attitudes cooled to Sirleaf at home when a 2009 Truth and Reconciliation Commission named her on a list of people who should not hold public office for 30 years for backing warlord - turned - president Charles Taylor.
Sirleaf admitted to initially backing Taylor’ s insurgency against Samuel Doe ’ s government in 1989 which led to the country ’ s first civil war , but became a fierce opponent as the true extent of his war crimes became apparent .
She calmly deflected the myriad criticisms against her , returning time and again to the need to reconcile and move forward .
– ‘ Born to rule ’ –
Re - elected in 2011 , Sirleaf oversaw a country that slipped into recession under the impact of an Ebola outbreak , virtually shutting down businesses , and the collapse in commodity prices .
“ The last five years of Ellen ’ s regime were marked by a flood of people coming from the diaspora to get jobs while locally qualified people ” were overlooked , Nimely said .
Born Ellen Euphemia Johnson on October 29 , 1938 , in the capital Monrovia , she wrote in her memoirs that an old man predicted days after her birth that she would grow up to rule .
The sprightly grandmother , who is equally at ease in flowing robes and headdresses while charming financial institutions, and in a comfortable pair of jeans and a cap on the streets of Liberia , married at age 17 , but later divorced after the relationship turned abusive .
She has four sons and 11 grandchildren .
Taking the reins of a nation that had just emerged from a civil war leaving an estimated 250, 000 dead , Sirleaf will be remembered for maintaining peace and attracting massive donor funding as she rebuilt her country from scratch over 12 years in power .
“ We were a nation exhausted from three decades of conflict . We were starting from zero , with the complete destruction of our national infrastructure, a collapsed economy , and a state incapable of providing services to its people , ” she recalled of her 2006 inauguration in a final speech to the nation on Wednesday .
She will on Monday hand power to former international footballer George Weah , representing the West African country ’ s first democratic transfer of power since 1944 , and will leave behind a mixed record of peace and freedom of speech cherished by the population, but stubbornly low living standards .
Sirleaf, 79 , presided over the 2014 - 16 Ebola crisis during which more than 4 , 000 Liberians died , and struggled to counter the effects of plunging commodity prices in a nation highly dependent on exports of iron ore and rubber .
She also weathered regional crises in West Africa, most notably as a mediator during The Gambia ’ s 2016 - 17 political crisis , when President Yahya Jammeh stubbornly refused to stand down after losing an election.
Sirleaf noted in her final address that Liberia “ reflects the changing face of the continent , where rule of law , human rights , good governance , and accountability are demanded by its citizens . This is Africa’ s future , and Liberia is one of its enviable democracies. ”
– Massive expectations –
Sirleaf made use of her international cachet as a Harvard - trained economist , former finance minister and an executive at the World Bank to get a massive chunk of Liberia ’ s debt written off in 2007 .
Sirleaf also attracted investments in the mining , agriculture and forestry sectors and offshore oil exploration .
Her high profile abroad as a symbol of post -war reconstruction has not saved her from messy politics at home , where she has faced criticism over the absence of prosecutions for war criminals , and allegations of nepotism surrounding the employment of her sons .
“ When Ellen came to power , the expectation of the Liberian people was high , so high that she could not meet up with such expectation , ” said political science professor Emmanuel Nimely .
“That does not mean that she did not try , she did try but could just not do it all. ”
Half of the roads around Monrovia have been rebuilt and the capital now has running water. Electricity , once non -existent here , is available in some parts of the city but the supply is still haphazard .
Yet unemployment is still high and extreme poverty pervasive. Most Liberian children do not finish school .
She herself told journalists last week there were “ more things we wanted to do ” , adding that her agenda was “more expansive than what we ’ ve achieved ” .
– Backing Charles Taylor –
Turning around Africa’ s oldest independent state — first founded for freed US slaves — where institutions had become rotten to the core, was never going to be easy .
Attitudes cooled to Sirleaf at home when a 2009 Truth and Reconciliation Commission named her on a list of people who should not hold public office for 30 years for backing warlord - turned - president Charles Taylor.
Sirleaf admitted to initially backing Taylor’ s insurgency against Samuel Doe ’ s government in 1989 which led to the country ’ s first civil war , but became a fierce opponent as the true extent of his war crimes became apparent .
She calmly deflected the myriad criticisms against her , returning time and again to the need to reconcile and move forward .
– ‘ Born to rule ’ –
Re - elected in 2011 , Sirleaf oversaw a country that slipped into recession under the impact of an Ebola outbreak , virtually shutting down businesses , and the collapse in commodity prices .
“ The last five years of Ellen ’ s regime were marked by a flood of people coming from the diaspora to get jobs while locally qualified people ” were overlooked , Nimely said .
Born Ellen Euphemia Johnson on October 29 , 1938 , in the capital Monrovia , she wrote in her memoirs that an old man predicted days after her birth that she would grow up to rule .
The sprightly grandmother , who is equally at ease in flowing robes and headdresses while charming financial institutions, and in a comfortable pair of jeans and a cap on the streets of Liberia , married at age 17 , but later divorced after the relationship turned abusive .
She has four sons and 11 grandchildren .
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