Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders: Dr. Esperance Luvindao, Minister of Health and Social Services, @MhssNamibia. Since her appointment, she has moved with the urgency of someone who knows that in healthcare, delay costs lives. She has recruited over 2,000 healthcare workers, overseen the direct procurement of medications from manufacturers, and launched Namibia's first-ever digital health policy. Read her full profile: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea… #Amujae #WomenLeadAfrica #Namibia #EJSCenter @NewEraNewspaper @WHONAMIBIA @TheNamibian @NBCNamibia @namibiansun @AfricaCDC @nampapress

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders: Dr. Angela Nakafeero, Commissioner, Gender and Women Affairs @Mglsd_UG, Uganda, where she provides strategic leadership on the policies and programmes that determine how gender equality is lived, not just legislated, across the country. Read her full profile here: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea… #Amujae #WomenLeadAfrica #Uganda #EJSCenter

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders: Dr. Anneline Chetty. Armed with a PhD in Geography and Environmental Science and a Master's in Town and Regional Planning, Dr. Chetty has spent her career at the intersection of policy, innovation, and economic transformation. From Ethekwini Municipality to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, she has consistently operated at the level where strategy meets real-world impact. Her full profile is available here: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea…

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders: @DakoaNewman, Human Rights Advocate. Former Minister of State for Gender, Children, and Social Protection. Former Member of Parliament, Okaikoi South. Co-Founder, DNF Ghana. Before politics, Dakoa Newman's career was in project management, leading some of Ghana's most consequential infrastructure developments, including Kotoka International Airport Terminal 3, West Hills Mall, and Achimota Mall. Read her full profile here: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea… #Amujae #WomenLeadAfrica #Ghana #EJSCenter

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders: @Djami_D, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Government of Guinea, advancing Guinea's environmental policy and sustainable development agenda with the authority of someone who has worked at every level of law, governance, and international affairs. Read more about her here: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea… #Amujae #WomenLeadAfrica #Guinea #EJSCenter

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders: @CrystalAsige, Parliament of Kenya. Voted Kenya's Top Performing Senator for two consecutive years, Crystal Asige has built one of the most consequential legislative careers in Kenya's Senate. Read her full profile here: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea… #Amujae #WomenLeadAfrica #Kenya #EJSCenter

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders Christelle Sappot @CSappot : Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central African Republic She is the first woman to serve as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps of the Central African Republic accredited to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Read her full profile here: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea…

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders @MurindaChioniso : Elected Councillor, Chegutu Rural District Council, Zimbabwe. Global Youth Co-Chair, @AWLNetwork. Murinda has sat at tables that determine the futures of nations, and she has done it at every level, from a rural district council in Zimbabwe to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. She directly contributed to Zimbabwe's adoption of a 33% women's quota in local governance and a Youth Quota in Parliament. Read her full profile via: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea… #Amujae #WomenLeadAfrica #Zimbabwe #EJSCenter

Profiling our 5th Cohort of Amujae Leaders. @Antababacar Ngom Diack: CEO. Entrepreneur. Political Leader. Member of Parliament, Senegalese National Assembly. In 2024, Anta Babacar Ngom Diack became the only woman to run for President of Senegal. She knew the road would not be easy but she walked it anyway, because at least one woman had to do it. You can read her full profile here: ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-lea… #Amujae #WomenLeadAfrica #Senegal #EJSCenter

Announcing our 2026 Amujae Leaders! We are thrilled to announce the 5th Cohort of the Amujae Initiative, 15 women from 14 African countries leading in AI, health, diplomacy, energy, peacebuilding, parliament, and beyond. This cohort becomes the most geographically and sectorally diverse selection in the Initiative’s history. Welcome to Dr. Angela Nakafeero, Dr Anneline Chetty, Anta Babacar Ngom Diack, Chioniso Michelle Murinda, Christelle SAPPOT, Senator Crystal Asige, Djami Diallo, Dr. Esperance Luvindao, Julia Chimuna, Lalaina Randriarimanana, Marilyn Teta Logan, Victoria Mwanziva, Dakoa Newman, Dr. Rim Gasmi, Wadei Powell. Discover their profiles here: ejscenter.org/fifteen-women-… Every cohort, the network grows, and the proof deepens: that African women are not just ready to lead , they already are. We now count 70 Amujae Leaders in total across 5 cohorts from 29 African countries in the Amujae Initiative. Meet them all: ejscenter.org/our-work/amuja…

Before and after one year in the Amujae Initiative, hear from our 4th Cohort Amujae Leaders. After a year of sisterhood, peer networking, executive coaching by senior women leaders, and direct mentorship from Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, our alumni share how their leadership transformed, and what they now stand for, in the spirit of Amujae.

The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the recent assault on a young woman in the Red Light Market area of Paynesville. This violent act is deeply disturbing and represents yet another painful reminder of the insecurity and gender‑based violence that too many girls and women in Liberia continue to face. Violence against women—whether in public or private spaces—has no justification and must never be normalized or ignored. Our thoughts are with the survivor and her family. We stand in solidarity with her and with all women and girls whose safety, dignity, and rights are threatened by acts of violence. Survivors deserve compassion, access to care and support services, and justice—free from stigma, intimidation, or blame. We call on the relevant authorities to conduct a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation and to ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable under the law. Justice is essential—not only for this survivor, but to send a clear message that violence against women will not be tolerated. We further call on community leaders, market associations, local officials, civil society organizations, and residents of Paynesville to take collective responsibility for protecting women and girls. This includes speaking out against violence, supporting survivors in seeking help, strengthening community‑based protection and reporting mechanisms, and creating safer public spaces where women work and move freely. Ending violence against women requires sustained action—from government institutions, communities, men and boys, faith leaders, and families alike. Silence and indifference only allow harm to continue. The EJS Center remains firmly committed to advocating for the safety, leadership, and full participation of women and girls across Liberia. We will continue to support efforts that promote justice, accountability, and a society where every woman can live and work without fear. Ellen Pratt-Harris Executive Director Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development Monrovia-Liberia

As we prepare to welcome Cohort 5 of the Amujae Initiative, we look back at a powerful milestone: the Closing Convening of Cohort 4 in Nairobi this February. Joined by special guests @Zain_Verjee and @CJMarthaKoome, Cohort 4 Amujae leaders reflected on a year of growth, mentorship and sisterhood.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Aida Alassane Ndiaye Riddick, a distinguished public servant from Côte d’Ivoire and a member of the inaugural cohort of our Amujae Initiative. On behalf of our Founder, Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, our Board of Directors, the Amujae Leaders, and the EJS Center team, we extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, colleagues, and loved ones during this difficult time. Her life and leadership remain part of the legacy we continue to build. We honor her service and her sisterhood within the Amujae community. May her soul rest in peace.

We are delighted to share the great news of the 10th Anniversary Printing of "Choosing the Hero: My Improbable Journey and the Rise of Africa's First Woman President" (2016) by K. Riva Levinson (@RivaLevinson), member of Afrobarometer’s International Advisory Council (IAC). This memoir interweaves the author's own coming-of-age in Washington, D.C.'s public-relations world with her decades-long partnership with H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (@MaEllenSirleaf) , also a distinguished member of Afrobarometer’s IAC. You can get a copy of this book here: bit.ly/4naivRz #VoicesAfrica

The @EJSCenter is proud to celebrate our Amujae Leader, Hon. Dr. @zanetorofficial, on her election as Second Vice-President of the @AfrikParliament. Elected in Johannesburg, South Africa today, this role is the equivalent of Second Deputy Speaker of the Pan-African Parliament and represents a critical position within the institution’s Bureau. Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings will represent the West African Caucus in this role. Her election is a win for Ghana. A win for West Africa. And a win for women’s leadership across the continent. Join us to congratulate and celebrate her.

Meet our Executive Director, Ellen Pratt-Harris and Director of Fundraising & Partnerships, Nduta Kuria at @WomenDeliver 2026, in Melbourne (Naam), Australia between April 27 – April 30, 2026. If you’ll be in Melbourne during this time, we would love to connect. We are engaging with development practitioners, advocates, funders, and partners advancing gender equality and women’s public leadership. Ellen and Nduta are happy to meet with you over a quick coffee to learn more about your work, share insights on the EJS Center’s initiatives, answer any questions, and explore opportunities for meaningful partnership and collaboration. Our Amujae Leaders, impact-driven public and business leaders from across Africa, will also be available to engage.

#AWCAN, the African Women’s Climate Action Network, is a special initiative of the @EJSCenter with a continental call to center women in Africa’s climate future. Read our call to action: ejscenter.org/wp-content/upl… Today, we are proud to celebrate the founding members of #AWCAN, a group of Amujae Leaders and African women leaders and experts championing this agenda. Anisa Bek Derna, Grace Galaty, @AlbazarSahar @kaychoter @KoluNorwu, Haja Binta Jalloh, @manjakargbo @JoanitaBabirye Thandiwe Chidavarume @lizwathuti @Preciouskalomb4 Dr. Rose Buabeng

Today is Earth Day. And on this day, we recognize the power of African women and their role in protecting our planet. Across the continent, African women are driving climate solutions every day. They are responding, adapting, and holding systems together. Yet too often, they remain underrepresented where policies are shaped, priorities are set, and resources are allocated. Climate decisions are being made without the full participation of those doing the work on the ground, creating a significant gap between the leadership we see in communities and the decisions made at the top. To bridge that gap, the @EJSCenter is advancing the African Women’s Climate Action Network (AWCAN), a platform to connect, elevate, and strengthen African women leaders shaping climate solutions, from community to policy. AWCAN focuses on five priority areas: • Integrating gender-responsive climate targets • Advancing an African-led climate justice agenda • Strengthening women-led initiatives • Promoting inclusive climate governance • Accelerating a just and equitable transition These priorities point to how decisions are made, who influences them, and whose realities are reflected in outcomes. Because climate action and the protection of our planet cannot succeed if decision-making continues to overlook the people already leading solutions. To learn more about AWCAN, visit: ejscenter.org/awcan/