Published: May 28, 2025
ACCRA, Ghana – Liberia’s Ambassador to Ghana, Musu J. Ruhle, has called for sweeping structural reforms to ensure the true empowerment of women in political leadership across West Africa.
Speaking Wednesday, May 28, at the Conflict Prevention and Sustainable Peace Forum at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ambassador Ruhle warned that symbolic milestones are not enough to achieve meaningful change.
“At a time when democratic backsliding and protracted conflicts threaten peace, West Africa stands at a fragile crossroads,” she said. “Yet, women across our region—whether in villages or foreign ministries, on frontlines or in parliaments—continue to demonstrate resilience, wisdom, and leadership.”
Ruhle stressed that the key issue is not whether women should lead, but whether systems will allow space for their leadership and be transformed by it.
She argued that women’s involvement in peace processes and political transitions often remains superficial. “Representation alone is not transformation,” Ruhle said. “We must ask: Whose voices are being heard, and whose remain silenced? Are we truly changing power structures—or merely decorating them?”
Structural Reforms Over Symbolism
Ruhle praised Liberia’s historic election of Africa’s first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, as a symbolic step forward. But she cautioned that symbolism without structural change is not enough.
“Symbolic milestones cannot replace necessary reforms,” she said. “True empowerment requires deep structural change—especially in political parties, electoral processes, legal traditions, and transitional justice.”
She also emphasized the need for inclusive approaches to peace and governance.
“Peace is not just the absence of war; it is the presence of justice and dignity,” Ruhle said. “Security must mean that women live free from fear, exclusion, and economic disadvantage.”
Referencing Liberia’s 14-year civil war, Ruhle acknowledged the role of grassroots, women-led peace initiatives. She urged governments to not only acknowledge these contributions but to create pathways for women’s inclusion in formal governance.
“We must practice radical inclusion,” she said. “That means engaging not only educated or elite women, but also those in markets, refugee camps, and informal settlements. These women bear the heaviest burdens—and often hold the deepest insights.”
Liberia’s UNSC Campaign
Ambassador Ruhle reaffirmed Liberia’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2026–27 term, under the theme “Towards a Just and Peaceful World.”
“If elected, Liberia will use the platform to champion inclusive peace and gender-responsive leadership through our proposed Feminist Foreign Policy,” she said.
Ruhle concluded by emphasizing that sustainable peace and democracy cannot be achieved without women at the center of policy and governance.
“Security will never be complete until every woman—no matter where she lives—feels safe, heard, and respected,” she said.
She extended thanks to Her Excellency Bernice Owen-Jones and the Australian High Commission for convening the forum and elevating women’s voices across the region.
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