Liberian President gets Indira Gandhi peace prize

Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was on Thursday conferred the coveted Indira Gandhi peace prize by President Pranab Mukherjee who said India will continue to support the African nation in its pursuit of stability and economic growth. 

74-year-old Sirleaf, the first democratically elected women Head of State of any African country, was honoured for serving as an example and an inspiration for ensuring the return of peace, democracy, development, security and order in Liberia and for her strong interest in the consolidation and improvement of ties between both the nations.

Sirleaf delivered the sixth Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Lecture on ‘The Social Inclusion Dimension of a Transformative Agenda’.

Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, in her tribute to Sirleaf, said: ‘Owing to her integrity, good governance, and courage to swim against the tide, it gives me immense pleasure that Her Excellency Dr.Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s name is now being added to the distinguished list of recipients of this prize.

‘The extraordinary story of her life, her charismatic personality, and her strength of character, are an inspiration to all of us, women and men alike, around the world,’ she said.