These women run their countries
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Born in 1938, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected President of Liberia in November, 2005 -- the first elected female President of an African country.
A mother of four and grandmother of six, she holds a Master's degree in public administration from Harvard University. Interestingly, as Assistant Minister of Finance in 1979, she was accused of theft of over US$ 3 million. In 1985, she spoke out against the country's military regime and was sentenced to ten years in prison. She was exiled to Nairobi and returned in 1997 as an economist working for the World Bank.
From then to now, it has been a slow, steady climb to the top. She managed just 10 per cent of votes in her first presidential elections in 1997. Now, she runs Liberia. At her swearing-in ceremony on January 16, 2006, Laura Bush and Condoleezza Rice were in attendance.
Also See: World's ten most powerful women