3 African women who have won the Nobel Peace Prize

In celebration of the International Day of Peace, established by the United Nations to promote and celebrate peace worldwide, we’ll be recognising three outstanding African women who received the internationally distinguished award called the Nobel Peace Prize.

These African women have made outstanding contributions to peace, environmental conservation, and women's rights, and their Nobel Peace laureates are well-deserved as they reflect their dedication and impact on their respective countries and the world. They are:

Wangari Maathai (Kenya, 2004)

Wangari Maathai was an environmentalist and political activist who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental organisation that focused on tree planting, conservation, and women's rights.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in promoting environmental sustainability and women's rights.

Leymah Gbowee (Liberia, 2011)

Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist who played a major role in ending the Second Liberian Civil War. She, along with other women, organised peace protests and peace negotiations. Gbowee worked with girls and women who were raped during the war, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She heads the Ghana-based Women's Peace and Security Network and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her courageous efforts to bring about peace in Liberia.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia, 2011)

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, also from Liberia, received the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Leymah Gbowee. After a peace agreement installed an interim government in 2003, Johnson-Sirleaf headed the Governance Reform Commission. She later ran for president in 2005, in the first election after 14 years of war, and won. Johnson-Sirleaf was the first woman to be elected as a head of state in Africa and was recognised for her leadership in stabilising Liberia and promoting peace and reconciliation.