Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (EJS) Center Amujae Initiative 2021 for emerging African Women Public Leaders

Application Deadline: 30^th of September 2020

The Amujae Initiative is the Center’s flagship program. Amujae, pronounced ӓ mōō jāēē, means ‘we are going up’ in Kru, a Liberian language. Launched on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2020, the vision for the Amujae Initiative is to shift the landscape for women in public leadership in Africa, moving from a culture of tokenism to one that truly values women leaders.

The Amujae Initiative is the EJS Center’s flagship program, whose mission is to inspire and prepare women to unapologetically take up roles and excel in the highest echelons of public leadership, and to bring other women along. Each year, the EJS Center identifies 15 African women public leaders and offers them targeted leadership development experiences that are 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 public life in Africa.

Its mission is to inspire and prepare women to unapologetically take up roles and excel in the highest echelons of public leadership, and to bring other women along.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITIES

The Amujae Initiative achieves these goals through a set of integrated activities:

Leadership development: The Initiative hosts the Amujae Leadership Forums, a yearly cycle of forums facilitating ongoing coaching and mentoring of leaders. Participants in the Leadership Forums are African women of proven talent already on a public leadership journey, with a track record of excellence and of supporting their fellow women. The inaugural Forum was hosted in collaboration with Big Win Philanthropy.

Advocacy and movement building: The Center advocates for and helps to establish a sustainable environment for women in public leadership. This takes place through traditional and digital media campaigns, gender sensitivity training for journalists, and media training for Amujae Initiative participants.

Research and thought leadership: The Center is a leading voice in challenging the state of women’s participation in public life in Africa. To this end, the Center produces and promotes evidence-based research on women in leadership and the challenges they face.

Documenting and storytelling: To bring to life the challenges faced by women in leadership across Africa, the Center documents the stories of the Amujae Leaders and other women in public life. This content is hosted on the Center’s website and social media channels and used in the development of other visual, print, and digital media.

Application Requirements

An Amujae Leader is a woman who:

• Is a citizen of and resides in any African country.
• Has proven leadership talent, having excelled in her chosen field and distinguished herself as someone who can deliver transformative impact.
• If not already involved in public service, has the vision and proven commitment to become an exceptional public leader.
• Has demonstrated a commitment towards the upliftment/ empowerment of other women.
• Is patriotic, demonstrating commitment and service to their home country/countries.

Please complete the full application below – all questions are mandatory. We recommend drafting your application on a separate document, as the form will not save your work as you go. Please note that all character counts include spaces.

Once you have submitted your application by clicking the ‘Send’ button, you should receive an immediate email acknowledgment. Should you not receive an email confirmation within two hours, kindly re-submit your application. If you have any questions, or require assistance, please send an email to info@ejscenter.org. Your email will be attended to within 48 hours.

Applications will close on the 30^th of September 2020 and applicants will be notified of the outcome by the 2^nd of November 2020.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (EJS) Center Amujae Initiative