After 12 years and two terms as Liberia’s president, Africa’s first elected female head of state –  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – will leave office in January 2018. President Sirleaf’s election in 2005 was widely heralded as a victory for women’s empowerment and her contributions to women’s rights were given the highest recognition with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. Yet, President Sirleaf’s record is mixed. This panel takes the end of Sirleaf’s presidency as an entry point to discuss the legacy of Africa’s first woman president and also to reflect on the impact of women in high-level politics in Africa.