Press Release: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Speaks at Royal African Society’s Annual Lecture on Liberian Politics & Women’s Empowerment
London. 09.10.2018 — Women’s economic empowerment is currently on the rise in Africa. According to the 2015 MDG report, the proportion of seats held by women in lower houses of national parliament has increased by over 10%. The topic of women’s empowerment, along with many prevalent issues regarding African democracy were discussed at the Royal African Society’s Annual Lecture, which took place last week on Tuesday 9th. A highlight of the event was the lecture delivered by this year’s special guest, former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Uhusiano Capital, along with many others, were in attendance at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum as Madame Sirleaf graced the stage to share her wealth of knowledge and expressed her views on various matters. Her talk touched upon important topics such as corruption in Liberia, women’s empowerment, and the future of women’s participation in African politics.
For those present, the RAS event was a special occasion and a rare opportunity experience her knowledge first-hand as she shared her views and answered questions from the audience.
“Women and youth are the catalytic forces that drive transformation (…) The future of the world will be in the hands of those young people who are willing to make sacrifices — they are the change makers that break down the barriers,” Madame Sirleaf on future generations of women in African politics.
Madame Sirleaf was openly honest about the challenges that she faced as a woman during her presidency and the fight for women’s rights in Liberia.
“Women lack access to the historic and well-established pathways which continue to support patriarchal systems”, she stated about the persistent inequality in political leadership. She suggested that the solution to the deep systematic corruption in Liberia is to build strength and equality within democratic institutions for future generations.
Those who were present expressed their gratitude and admiration for Madame Sirleaf:
“When I am nearly 80 years old please can I be just like Ellen Johnson Sirleaf? Insightful, motivational, calling for transformational change (…) especially for women in Africa”
— Harriet Lamb, CEO of International Alert.
“What an honour to meet the formidable Madame President”
— Preet K Gill, British Labour MP.
“Madame Sirleaf’s lecture was deeply moving and profound. Her honesty about the difficulties she faced as a woman in a patriarchal system was nothing short of inspirational. We at Uhusiano Capital intend to carry out our duty as a gateway to help establish a foundation to support the future of women’s economic empowerment in Africa.”
— Ruby Alcantara, Senior Advisor to Uhusiano Capital
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a leading figure in the cause to promote peace, democracy, and gender equality in politics across the continent of Africa. As Africa’s first ever democratically-elected female president, she led her home country of Liberia to a state of recovery following the nation’s decade of civil war, and the perilous time during the Ebola crisis. President Sirleaf has received international acclaim for her achievements in economic, social, and political change — even receiving the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.
Visit the Royal African Society’s website to hear more about this event and others like it: http://www.royalafricansociety.org/
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