Ma Ellen Showcases New ‘Amujae’ Leaders -Liberia’s Charlyne Brumskine Amongst Global Cohorts

MONROVIA – Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s feminist crusade is not just a formidable network of actors, a sort of an “octopus” operation across the regions of Africa and the global community; it is also relentless and sweeping, not leaving behind any novel idea unharvested and unleveraged. The first democratically elected African president remains upbeat and unbeaten in planting diverse seeds of her struggles – seeds she is intentionally giving fertility and the conductive environment necessary to cause them blossom and glitter hereafter. And they come through what is, amongst other things, known as “Amujae Leaders”—women, cohorts, carefully selected across Africa and technically well-roundly groomed as to enable be ambassadors that will keep the flames of feminism unfettered. Names of the 2025 Cohorts are out, amongst them one of Liberia’s emergent legal luminaries and feminists, Charlyne Brumskine, as THE ANALYST reports.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s flagship program, Presidential Center for Women and Development, bears many branches, one of which is the Amujae Initiative, established in 2020 as a network of accomplished women public leaders. Annually, since 2020, the Center admits new members, cohorts, and in 2025, it has just released the fresh batch of distinguished women.
The new cohort includes accomplished women public leaders from countries including Tunisia, Lesotho, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, join their peers to represent a new wave of African public leadership that is principled, bold, inclusive, and determined to build a better future for all.
As part of the Amujae Initiative, they will benefit from strategic mentorship, coaching, and a powerful Pan-African network of trailblazing women public leaders.
Selected from across the continent, Amujae Leaders represent women from diverse backgrounds with a similar track record of achievements in public life and a shared passion for uplifting African women and girls and the continent as a whole.
New Leaders Include Cllr. Charlyne M. Brumskine
Liberia features, and prominently, in the new Amujae Leaders, with the selection of Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine, lawyer, entrepreneur, and politician, her career embodying excellence, integrity, and service.
She has built a reputation as a trailblazer in law, business, and governance, a principal and Managing Counsellor of CMB Law Group, one of Liberia’s leading law firms. She is a respected authority in corporate and commercial law, representing multinational corporations, international NGOs, developmental agencies, Liberian businesses, and the Government of Liberia.
Beyond her legal practice, she has dedicated herself to shaping the next generation of legal minds serving as a former Assistant Professor of Law at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, nearly 20 years of legal experience to mentor and teach young Liberians, emphasizing the power of legal education as a tool for national transformation.
In 2022, she transitioned into politics. Initially, she campaigned for a representative seat in the national legislature but then transitioned from a legislative candidate to the Presidential ticket after she was selected to be the Vice-Presidential running mate to Mr. Alexander B. Cummings under the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP).
Her campaign resonated deeply with Liberians, particularly women and youth, as she championed policies that addressed the importance of visionary stewardship, economic empowerment, justice, and inclusive governance. Known for her intellectual rigor and transformative leadership, she emerged as a formidable force in national politics.
She is the Chair of the Governance Pillar of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), Liberia Chapter and her focus is on women’s participation in political and governance processes.
Cllr Brumskine currently serves on the board of Harvest Intercontinental American University, a partnership with Oral Roberts University, USA, dedicated to providing quality education in Liberia.
Additionally, she is Chair of the Advisory Council of the Liberty Party and has served on the boards of major institutions, including IB Bank and MNG Gold.
Cllr. Brumskine holds a Juris Doctor (JD) from Howard University School of Law (2002) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Barnard College, Columbia University, New York (1997).
She was Valedictorian of the Liberia Supreme Court Bar Exam (2022) and is admitted to the Liberia National Bar (2014), New York State Bar (2003), and multiple U.S. District Courts. She is currently pursuing a Master of Law degree (LLM) in Corporate and Commercial Law from Kings College London.
With an unwavering commitment to justice, empowerment, and national development, Cllr. Brumskine hopes to continue to shape Liberia’s legal and political future, inspiring a new generation of Liberian leaders.
Other 2025 Amujae Leaders
In a release the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center) announced the fourth cohort of its Amujae Leaders—13 outstanding women public leaders from across Africa who are transforming governance, advancing justice, and driving social change.
They now join 42 other women leaders from 19 countries who form part of the continent’s most prestigious leadership program for women—the Amujae Initiative—which was established in 2020 by former President, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Making the announcing, the former Liberian leader said, “Welcoming this new group of Amujae Leaders is both a celebration and a call to action.”
She added: “These remarkable women represent the best of African leadership with their deep commitment to prioritizing the communities they work with. Their entry to the Amujae Initiative comes at a time when the world is yearning for a new kind of leadership—one that is inclusive, ethical, and transformative. These women are not the leaders of tomorrow—they are the leaders of today, and they are helping to reshape the future of our continent.”
Meet the 2025 Cohort of Amuja Leaders
Aya Chebbi UN Global Champion on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, First-ever African Union Special Envoy on Youth, Tunisia.
Aya Chebbi is a Pan-African feminist and diplomat committed to the liberation of African women and girls. She rose to prominence as a voice for democracy during the 2010/2011 Tunisia Revolution, which toppled a 23-year dictatorship. She then served as the first-ever African Union Special Envoy on Youth and the youngest diplomat at the Chairperson’s Cabinet (2018 – 2021) where she impacted over one million youth.
In 2024, she was appointed United Nations Global Champion on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Youth Liaison to the Office of Special Representative and Under Secretary General.
Previously, she served on the World Refugee Council, Oxfam Independent Commission on Sexual Misconduct, WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and Council of the Africa Public Health Foundation among others which produced trailblazing reports in the humanitarian, health, gender and development fields.
She currently serves as a Member of the Advisory Board of ten23 Health, a Swiss company that develops, manufactures and tests tomorrow’s sterile medicines for the pharmaceutical industry. Chebbi is also the Founder & President of Nalafem, a feminist collective advancing African women’s political leadership.
She holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Tunis El Manar and an MA in African Politics from SOAS, University of London. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Georgia Southern University and a Mo Ibrahim Scholar. She received the Bill and Melinda Gates Campaign Award and was named in Forbes Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women.

Dr. Gathoni Wamuchomba – A member of Parliament, Githunguri Constituency, Kenya, Dr. Gathoni Wamuchomba is a vibrant intelligent legislator in her second term as a member of parliament. She has served in the parliamentary leadership in both the 12th and 13th parliament leading caucuses such as KEWOPA, and Coffee caucus and served in the leadership of various committees such as chairperson CIOC (13th Parliament) and transport committee of the 12th parliament as vice chairperson.
A scholar in PhD studies at the University of Nairobi’s School of Social Studies, she holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Transformational leadership from Patriah University Canada. She also holds a Master’s in Communication Journalism and a Bachelor’s in Education arts (Commerce and Geography) from UON.
Dr. Gathoni has been at the forefront of the line of family defense in particular. She has spearheaded campaigns against drugs and alcohol addiction, domestic violence and child abuse for over 15 years. This has seen her acknowledged and awarded accolades by the Head of State and BBC Africa for exemplary performance.
Dr. Gathoni has made history by being the first female Member of parliament to represent Githunguri Constituency as well as the first ever MP to vacate a County Woman MP Seat to a single constituency and win without petitions.
She has also broken the record for being the MP who gathered the highest EVER recorded number of votes in 2017 (922,829), being the 3rd most elected person in Kenya after the presidential candidates.

Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie – She is the Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Sierra Leone, and a distinguished academic, researcher, and visionary leader.
With over a decade of experience as a Senior Lecturer and multi-disciplinary researcher at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Dr. Wurie has consistently championed capacity-building and evidence-informed systems for national development.
Her academic credentials are both broad and deep. She earned a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry from the University of Liverpool, followed by an M.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Wolverhampton, a Ph.D. in Medicine from Warwick Medical School, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Management Policy and Planning from the University of Leeds.
These qualifications have shaped her data-driven, inclusive approach to education reform.

Dr. Mutshidzi Mulondo – A Global Health Academic, South Africa, Dr. Mutshidzi Mulondo is an award-winning Global Health Academic championing public health strategies that prioritize mental health and health equity.
She is part of the pioneering team instrumental in establishing the first Division of Public Health at the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa where she was involved in the international comparability of the public health programs. She was formerly a Visiting Scholar at the Beaver College of Health Sciences, Appalachian State University, USA.
Dr. Mulondo champions Science Diplomacy efforts as a member of the Global Young Academy and UNESCO’s Action Group for Women in Science. She was the first academic in her institution to be accepted to the prestigious Global Young Academy which represents top young academics in the world.
She currently represents South Africa as an Advisor and Council Member in the Golden Key International Council of Advisors where she oversees all 25 academic chapters in South Africa. She has represented her country as a youth delegate at the United Nations Summit of the Future and the African Union Pan-African Youth Forum.
She is a recipient of the South African Health Excellence Award, Zenith Global Health Award and Leadership Luminary Award. She is recognised globally as a Novartis Reimagining Healthcare Scholar, Mandela Washington Fellow, One Young World Ambassador, Envision Global Young Leader and Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South African.
Dr. Mulondo has an interdisciplinary Doctoral degree in Community Health and Health Professions Education- which became the first interdisciplinary PhD of its kind at UFS- also making her the youngest academic with a PhD in her institution at the same. She also holds a Master degree in Psychology from the University of Pretoria.

Edite Ten Jua – Jua is a awyer, Political leader, and Advocate for women’s leadership in Africa, São Tomé and Príncipe, a distinguished lawyer, political leader, and advocate for women’s leadership in Africa.
With over 25 years of experience in law and public service, she has held several high-level positions in the government of São Tomé and Príncipe, including Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Parliamentary Affairs as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities, and Vice-President of the Constitutional Court. Her career reflects a deep commitment to justice, democratic governance, and institutional reform.
In addition to her governmental roles, Edite is a seasoned expert in the oil and gas sector, where she has spent more than a decade advising on legal and regulatory frameworks.
Her work bridges the private and public sectors, bringing a unique perspective to policy development and strategic leadership, and the founder and president of the El-Shaddai Foundation which works with social communities – an organization dedicated to empowering youth and women through mentorship, leadership training, and sustainable development initiatives.
The Foundation focuses on fostering inclusive representation and equipping future generations with the tools to lead across sectors in Africa.
Known for her integrity, strategic insight, and unwavering dedication to equity, Edite Ten Jua continues to champion women’s inclusion in decision-making spaces. As an Amujae Leader, she brings her vision, voice, and experience to the mission of transforming leadership across the continent while creating more resilient and just societies.

Kanungwe Chota Kanyanyamina – Kanyanyamina is the Mayor of Kanchibiya Town Council in Muchinga Province, Zambia, an inspirational local government leader and advocate for inclusive development, currently serving as Mayor of Kanchibiya Town Council in Muchinga Province, Zambia. She also serves as Vice President of the Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ), where she is championing strengthened local governance and gender-responsive leadership.
Kanungwe is proud to be Zambia’s youngest female mayor, a trailblazer using her platform to shift perceptions and expand opportunities for women and youth. She believes that leadership is not just a position, but a platform to empower others. Her leadership in Kanchibiya has been marked by impactful community development, improving maternal health services, expanding access to clean water, supporting youth empowerment, and boosting women-led enterprises.
In 2022, under her leadership, Kanchibiya Town Council was recognized nationally as the best-performing council in CDF implementation. This achievement affirmed her commitment to accountability, community participation, and service delivery.
A passionate advocate for gender equality, Kanungwe is working to create safe spaces for girls in the district and challenge cultural norms that limit women’s potential. She envisions a society where women are empowered to lead and where every girl is encouraged to dream just as boldly as any boy. She mentors young women and strives to be a role model within her community.
Kanungwe is a proud wife and mother of two daughters, roles that continue to inspire and shape her leadership journey.

Mylène Noubi Tchatchoua – Mylène Noubi Tchatchoua is a Financial Magistrate in Cameroon, with over ten years of experience in public finance management.
Since 2017, she serves at the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court of Cameroon. There, she is responsible for overseeing the accounts of public accountants and regularly conducts audit missions within public administrations and development projects. Her expertise has also led her to contribute to several technical and institutional initiatives aimed at reforming budgetary and financial governance in Cameroon.
A feminist economist, Ms. Noubi is also an expert in gender and development. Her work focuses on the integration of gender into public policies, particularly through gender-responsive budgeting and its application in audits conducted by the Audit Bench.

She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in management sciences and is also a graduate of the National School of Administration and Magistracy of Cameroon.
In 2023, she founded the Association Women Leaders for Development, a nonprofit organization that promotes gender equality and women’s leadership. Through this platform, Mylène actively leads awareness campaigns against gender-based violence, particularly focusing on femicides, which have become a critical issue in Cameroon.

Nthati Moorosi – She a Member of Parliament, Minister of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation, Lesotho, a Minister of Information, Communication, Science, Technology and Innovation for the Government of Lesotho.
Nthati Moorosi is also a Member of Parliament for Thetsane #34 Constituency situated in the capital city of Maseru, and founder and the Secretary General of the Ruling Party in Lesotho – Revolution for Prosperity (since 2022 to date).
She is very passionate about impactful leadership, particularly empowerment of the vulnerable groups such as women, girls, youth and children. In 2023, she founded a women empowerment Foundation named Boiketlo Ba Basali Foundation, whose mandate is to empower women economically.
She specialized in Communications, Public Relations, Stakeholder Engagement as well as Events Management. She is an expert in developing and implementing communications strategies for awareness, advocacy and public outreach activities. She developed many strategies for different organizations including the UN and the Government of Lesotho.

Patricie Uwase
Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Cooperation, Rwanda, Patricie Uwase leads efforts to strengthen South-South and triangular cooperation and expand Rwanda’s global partnerships. She assumed this role in October 2024, after years of public service dedicated to advancing sustainable infrastructure and development in Rwanda.
Until mid-2024, Patricie served as Minister of State in charge of Infrastructure. Prior to that, she spent four years as the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, where she oversaw key national projects promoting green growth and resilient infrastructure.
Patricie is a civil engineer by training. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the former Kigali Institute of Science and Technology and earned her Master’s in Civil Engineering—with a focus on Transportation Engineering and City Planning—from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2015, through the support of the MasterCard Foundation. She was honored to deliver the student commencement speech at her Berkeley graduation—a testament to her academic excellence and leadership.

Roheyatou Lowe
Roheyatou Lowe is the first female Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia’s capital city, elected in 2018.
A trailblazer in local governance, she is a passionate advocate for inclusive development, climate resilience and gender equality. Mayor Lowe also serves as the President of REFELA (Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa) where she champions the participation and leadership of African women in politics and local governance.

Under her leadership, Banjul has seen transformative projects in sanitation, youth empowerment and women-led initiatives. She has received several national and international awards recognizing her dedication to public service and women’s rights including accolades from UN Women and United Cities and Local Governments Africa (UCLG-A).
Mayor Lowe continues to inspire a new generation of African leaders by promoting transparency, equity, and sustainability in urban development.

Sahar Albazar
Member of Parliament, Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Egyptian House of Representatives, Egypt, Sahar Albazar is an Egyptian Member of Parliament and serves as the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Egyptian House of Representatives and the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee for the Egyptian majority political party, Mostaqbal Watan.
Appointed member of the high-level advisory board to the Egyptian Cabinet for human development. Also Appointed member of the advisory committee for the Ministry of International Cooperation on scaling Egyptian startups abroad.
She is the founding member and Chairwoman of the Ubuntu Parliamentary Initiative for Climate Finance and an elected Executive Board Member for Parliamentarians for Global Action in New York.
Previously, Sahar was the Elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Forum of Young Parliamentarians and the founding member and Elected Chair of the Women’s Parliamentary Council of the Parliamentary Network on the IMF and World Bank.
In 2022, she was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and selected as a World Fellow by Yale University. In 2024, she became an Asia Global Fellow at the University of Hong Kong and was selected as an Obama Leader representing Africa.
Sahar holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Uju Rochas-Anwukah
She is Nutrition and Public Health Advocate, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health and Focal Person on Nutrition at the Office of the Vice President, Nigeria.
Uju Vanstasia Rochas-Anwukah is a distinguished nutrition and public health advocate who currently serves as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health and the Focal Person on Nutrition at the Office of the Vice President of Nigeria. In these roles, she plays a pivotal part in shaping national nutrition policies and fostering multi-sectoral coordination to combat malnutrition.
Uju leads the Nutrition 774 Initiative, a flagship program under the National Council on Nutrition aimed at strengthening nutrition interventions across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria. She is also the Coordinator of the Nutrition Core Working Committee, a coalition of key stakeholders—ranging from government agencies to international organizations, academia, NGOs, and the private sector—that collaborate to drive high-impact nutrition and public health interventions.
She is a member of the Core Working Group for the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), a strategic effort to transform Nigeria’s healthcare system. She also serves as the Co-Chair of the Board of Grand Challenges Nigeria, an initiative harnessing science, technology, and innovation to address critical public health issues.
Additionally, Uju is a Board Member of the Rochas Foundation, a globally recognized non-profit dedicated to providing free education to underprivileged children in Nigeria. As the Founder of the U-Save Foundation, she leads efforts to provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) solutions to underserved communities.
Academically, Uju holds a First-Class degree in Biochemistry with a Minor in Mathematics from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, a Master’s in Global Health from King’s College London, and a Postgraduate Degree in Public Health from the University of Texas at Dallas School of Public Health. She also earned a certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard University and is currently pursuing a Law degree at Baze University to deepen her expertise in public health policy and governance. Uju is a Fellow of the African Institute of Public Health Professionals.