By Akoma Chinweoke

Former Liberian President and first female President  in Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , has appealed to African leaders to shun patriarchal political culture and enthrone equality to make the continent’s economy stronger and the society a better place society that would inspire the populace for greater heights.

Ellen Johnson

The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate said this yesterday  at the 2018 Women  in Successful Careers, WISCAR, Annual Leadership and Mentorship Conference in lagos with the theme Enriching Lives By Telling Our Own stories.

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She noted that  Liberia  battled for 150 years  before the country was rescued  from dictatorship,  failure  and militarism adding that country’s road to peace  was that of uncommon courage  particularly on the part of the country’s women.

“We Liberians have one resounding message to the World, and that is Our time has come. Women constituted about 80 percent of those that voted me in then as Africa’s first female democratically elected president and that brought about change for democracy in the country.” She said

The ex- president also commended Nigerian women  who threw their weight behind her country  during the struggles and pointed out that today African women have made their mark in all walks of life and should therefore deserve a strong voice in the affairs of their countries.

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Sirleaf, also said that during her tenure as president, she inherited  a collapse economy and weak institutions but was was able to prioritize every everything before she could make a difference.

“We provided 5000 scholarship for young girls, reconstruct schools, markets among others. Also 11, 000 young girls were trained in soft skills and above all, we created good governance  to enable us manage effectively the affairs of the state by putting women in strategic places such as the  Ministry of Finance, Justice and Foreign affairs.  Today a women is a vice- president of Liberia and women now have voice that can never be taken away from them”