Mauritius' President Brings Lessons From Science to Her Office
President Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim of Mauritius is part of an exclusive club of women leading African nations. The club has just three members: Gurib-Fakim, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Namibian Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
When Sirleaf leaves office in January, Gurib-Fakim will be the only remaining female head of state on the continent.
"I am an endangered species," she joked to VOA on Sunday in Washington.
Gurib-Fakim has been president of the island nation of 1.2 million, situated east of Madagascar, since being elected by the National Assembly in 2015. She said the need for more female leadership goes beyond just numbers. It's a matter of capitalizing on the talent of the entire population instead of just half of it.
International Labour Organization