As Liberia’s Gender Gap Persists
Monrovia, Liberia – A bold call to reshape Liberia’s leadership landscape took center stage Wednesday, April 8, 2026, as the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development convened a high-level Women’s Leadership Council, urging media and institutions to accelerate efforts toward closing the country’s persistent gender gap in governance.
In her keynote speech, Ellen O. Pratt, Executive Director of the Center, emphasised the need to go beyond symbolic representation to actual impact, cautioning that despite Liberia’s long history, women’s leadership is still woefully under-represented.
“There is an African proverb that says, ‘until the lion learns to tell his story, the tale of the hunt will always favor the hunter,’” she said.
She maintained that women’s voices have been under-represented in the narrative of leadership for far too long not because they are absent, but rather because they are not always acknowledged, heard, or seen. According to Madam Pratt, the Center was established by former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with the goal of making sure that her remarkable ascent to become Africa’s first democratically elected female president serves as a model, not an exception, for women throughout the continent.
Even with that achievement, development has remained sluggish. She revealed that women presently hold only 11% of seats in Liberia’s House of Representatives and only 10% of Senate seats, according to data highlighted during the event. These statistics are described as a sobering reminder of the structural obstacles still facing women in politics.
The Executive Director stressed that representation alone is insufficient; saying, “We are not only asking if women are present in leadership,” she noted. “We are asking: are they influencing decisions, shaping policy, and delivering results?”
The centrepiece of the Center’s plan, according to Madam Pratt, is its flagship Amujae Initiative, which gives up-and-coming female leaders the tools, networks, and visibility they need to rise to positions of leadership throughout Africa.
She claims that the initiative has already helped a number of Liberian women leaders, putting them in a position to have a bigger national influence. Plans for the African Women’s House, a historic building being built in Liberia that will act as a continental center for women’s leadership development, were also highlighted at the occasion, she said.
When finished, it will be the world’s first presidential institution founded by a female president. The event’s attendees, who came from the governmental, business, and civil society sectors, stressed how important the media is in influencing public opinion and elevating the voices of women.
“The media is not on the sidelines. You shape visibility, credibility, and what the public believes is possible,” the Executive Director said.
With stakeholders outlining priority activities to remove obstacles and increase opportunities, the Women’s Leadership Council signifies a new stage in concerted efforts to elevate women into decision-making settings.
The gathering’s message was crystal clear as Liberia considers its innovative past: legacy is insufficient on its own. Women must be at the heart of the next chapter of leadership, which needs to be carefully written.
Reported by: Prince Saah
