Background:
The Center was established in 2018 by President Sirleaf with the support and encouragement of friends and family, simultaneously to her continued engagement in world affairs. Initial work included building a Board of Directors, preparing policies and procedures, and hiring staff. Programming was conceptualized, and the flagship initiative, Amujae, was launched in early 2020, as other programs soon after. The Center is located in buildings in downtown Monrovia.
Vision
More voices heard, talents unleashed, and leaders launched that prioritize the aspirations of women.
Misson
To champion women’s ascension to the highest levels of leadership and challenge systemic barriers to girls’ and women’s advancement.
Stategic Pillars
- Women’s leadership
- Research and advocacy
- Library, archives, exhibits
More information here
2020-2023 Activities and Results: Goal 1
A sizeable number among 60 leaders, each with an ambitious professional goal, credibly put themselves forward over 5 years to lead countries, cities, or ministries or to compete for senior positions
- Training in leadership, speaking, social media and networking, complemented by mentoring, was provided via the Center’s flagship initiative, Amujae, to 3 cohorts of African women leaders. Forty-two
women from 19 African countries have participated. (Leadership Forum Report)
2020-2023 Activities and Results: Goal 2
A physical space and intellectual nexus is established which serves as an educational and convening center and houses a permanent library and temporary and permanent exhibits
- Various collections of President Sirleaf’s papers were secured and organized. An agreement with Harvard
University to serve as a partner repository for the pre- and post-Presidential Archives was finalized and
agreements on the handling of the Presidential papers were concluded with the Government of Liberia. - Architects produced the conceptual design of the Presidential Center’s future campus and exhibits and,
with content developers, are working on the blueprints and internal and external design.
With support from the Foundation and other donors, the Center is fully staffed, and policies and procedures are established and ready for Center Board approval in April 2023. Communications and visibility efforts were updated, and equipment was acquired to enable podcast and video production.
An equivalency Determination was acquired, which enables the Center to receive support directly from individuals and organizations. The Center Board has undergone an assessment to maximize its efficiency.
Donors providing funding to the Foundation and granted to the Center during this period include Rockefeller Foundation, Gates Foundation, Open Societies Foundation, Ford Foundation, and anonymous institutional and
individual donors.
2020-2023 Activities and Results: Goal 3
The Center becomes a leading voice in challenging the state of women’s participation in public life in Africa and provides thought leadership on how change can be affected
- Training was conducted in 3 African countries for journalists and producers on awareness of gender bias
in campaign coverage. - Research was produced and published:
- Data Hub: A dashboard which tracks, collates and shares data on women’s inclusion in the public leadership
sphere in Africa (Women’s Leadership in Africa). The first phase concerns West Africa; 2023 data collection will expand through East
Africa. - The Voices Forgotten by the Fourth Estate: A Report on Gender Bias in the Media Ahead of Zambia’s
2021 Elections (Gender Bias Data Hub) - Shifting the Landscape:
- 2021 in Review (Leadership Report)
- 2022 in Review (Shifting the Landscape)
- Shaper and Shakers on Climate Change (Shapers and Shakers)
- Data Hub: A dashboard which tracks, collates and shares data on women’s inclusion in the public leadership
- An advocacy campaigns was conducted, #HaveHerBack, which included six videos of current and
former heads of state and senior leaders in the development space encouraging others to support and
uplift women in Africa. These were accompanied by social media posts and website content highlighting
the campaign. - In addition, a small grants program was implemented which provides resources to women-led, Liberian
enterprises. - Fund-raising strategies were tested, and an inclusive design of a mid- to long-term integrated fundraising
strategy if being developed to cover operational and program needs, capital campaign, and an
endowment. The integrated fundraising campaign will launch in early 2024.