The Interview31 Aug 2025

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia: How to rebuild a country

Rahul Tandon speaks to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s former president and first woman to be elected to lead an African country. Born in 1938 in what she describes as a prosperous and ‘unusual family’, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was guided by a deep commitment to education, which she pursued despite financial hardship and the demands of motherhood. Her outspoken criticism of the Liberian government led to her being persecuted and exiled, as the country descended into two civil wars that killed over 250,000 people. She was elected president of Liberia in 2005, when she set about repairing the country’s shattered economy and social fabric, drawing from her successful careers at the World Bank and United Nations. Her efforts led to her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

Thank you to the Business Daily team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producers: Adriana Urbano & Amber Mehmood Editor: Nick Holland

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

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