Applications for the 2023 cohort of Amujae Leaders are now closed.

The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center) is seeking ambitious women leaders to join its flagship program, the Amujae Initiative. The program inspires and prepares women to unapologetically take up roles and excel in the highest echelons of public leadership and to bring other women along.

Through tailored programming, the Center bolsters women in positions to vie for coveted, top roles in public leadership. Each year, the EJS Center identifies 15 African women public leaders and offers them targeted leadership development experiences designed to fuel their ambition and equip them with the necessary skills for effective service. These women become part of a purposeful sisterhood that propels women in public leadership forward, a multi-generational network of distinguished women leaders, and a movement advocating for increased women’s participation in Africa.

The EJS Center currently supports two cohorts of Amujae Leaders. Together, these 30 leaders from 16 African countries make a dynamic group of women with impressive and diverse backgrounds in public leadership and beyond. Learn more about these women and the work they have been involved in throughout the past two years.

Amujae Leaders receive world-class mentorship and training from former heads of state, leaders of international organizations, and renowned experts in various fields. It is the only course in the world specifically designed to support talented African women leaders through direct coaching from former female heads of state who have forged the path before them. The program also facilitates collaboration, providing the Amujae Leaders with an opportunity to strengthen and grow a multi-generational network of distinguished women leaders.

An Amujae Leader is a woman who:

• Is a citizen of an African country,
• Has the ambition and intent to serve at the highest levels of public leadership,
• Has already invested in a public leadership journey with demonstrable accomplishments that make them imminently viable to contend for top positions in public governance,
• Has demonstrated a commitment towards the upliftment/empowerment of other women,
• Is patriotic, demonstrating commitment and service to her home country/countries, and
• Holds ethical leadership and integrity as values.

The EJS Center is specifically seeking women who aspire to top elected or appointed public leadership positions, as well as those seeking to lead multilateral organizations. For each of these career paths, the EJS Center seeks candidates who can soundly demonstrate the following criteria:

1. Vision – has clarity on what they want to change (i.e., legacy goals).
2. Leadership – has held or holds a senior leadership position within a political party/movement, civil service, or a multilateral institution.
3. Political astuteness – understands the inner workings of political structures and processes, including electioneering and power brokering.
4. Credibility – has acquired sufficient technical expertise and reputation to demonstrate competence for the role/position sought.
5. Support – has a diverse constituency support base in an African country OR is positioned to receive government support to pursue a role in a multilateral institution where such support is required.
6. Personal mastery – is a master of their destiny and takes charge of their career advancement/progression and campaign.
7. Resilience – has the endurance to face/navigate the trials and tests on a public leadership path.
8. Intent – is prepared to take a giant career-advancing step/leap within the next five years.

Applications have now closed.