Former Liberian President, Sirleaf dedicates Mo Ibrahim Prize money to women empowerment

Former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has dedicated the $5 million (I.8bn Naira) prize money, she got as the winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership on Friday to women empowerment.

The Nobel Laureate  became the 5th person and the first woman to receive the $5 million Mo Ibrahim Prize at a ceremony held at the commencement of 2018 Mo Ibrahim Leadership weekend in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.

In her acceptance speech, Sirleaf said; “I’m honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. I receive this distinction on behalf of the many women and men who helped to navigate the profound complexities of the post-conflict country that is Liberia. As the first woman to receive this award, it is my hope that women and girls across Africa will be inspired to break through barriers, and push back on the frontiers of life’s possibilities.”

She plans to use the prize money to establish the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development, which she said is “designed to support women as agents of change, makers of peace, and drivers of progress.” CNN reports