at that actually by the wood that is in a mountain that never exhaustion could buy for himself an apartment well as we said in the us the deaths of more than 400000 people were more than that ceremonies across the nation an american nurse whose rendition of amazing grace was widely shared online last year sang to him at the memorial. zen in green east. which. he.

and his take you through some of the headlines we're following here on al-jazeera in the final hours of his presidency outgoing u.s. president donald trump issued more than 140 pardons and commutations they include former aide steve balland along with rafa's little wayne kodak black and the former mayor of detroit u.s. president elect joe biden and vice president elect camelot harris paid tribute to more than 400000 americans who died from cope with 19 biden says containing the pandemic is his number one priority to heal we must remember it's hard sometimes to remember but that's how we view it's important to do that as a nation that's why we're here today between sundown and dusk. to shine the lights the dark deuce along.

remember all we lost. in caml harris's ancestral village in india excitement is mounting over her handling inauguration prayers are set to take place at a local hindu temple paris will make history as the 1st u.s. vice president of asian descent. outgoing u.s. secretary of state my palm pilot has accused china of committing genocide and crimes against humanity against wigan muslims activists documented atrocities including rape torture and the sterilization of women a coronavirus strain 1st detected in the u.k. it's now been detected in at least 60 countries it's the story next stay with us. after unprecedented scenes of violence and chaos on capitol hill joe biden and camel harris will be sworn into office but with

a bitterly obstructive hour for the president and a continuing pandemic just how different will the traditional celebrations need to be special coverage of the u.s. presidential inauguration are now to 0. after me ok welcome to the strange how many times a p.c. in your african friends and family a roll their eyes when they talk about some leaders on the african continent and up here on my laptop this is the brit hume index of african governance he takes those iraq's and applies data to them asking africans every year what do you think michael eavis what do you think about the look on trees bring it will bring us to take away from the 2020 index he is steve centanni and found him foundation and this is what he told us a little bit. and. sell renting. that

is the current governance in africa. i must say here regarding our ballot generally our africa very deplore turned. inward to a rather general result of that run that of the war in iran and now we have the went on to make. exactly this image i had for africa only. as a resistor. there already is. and to have we really a war in iraq where we're going to go through here. so when we go from here what do we do about pap's a trending african government system going in the wrong direction i know you have ideas you can jump into the ichi comment section and be part of today's show you are going to be in for a treat i will exceed its consider this as. a new leadership across the african

continent madam president it is good to have you on the screen peace time international audience maybe there might be one or 2 people who do not know your reputation in south. ellen johnson sirleaf trama president of public a play area they're proud to have served 26 year term successfully and have trained in. to the success of 3 elections and of course the hall gerry very proud to be the 1st democratically elected woman president in africa is very good to have here on our panel today man avon welcome to the string delivery body can you. thank you if any money is yvonne eki sawyer i'm the man of freetown the capital of sara aon and i

came into office in may 20000 from a private sector background with a commitment to transform a city and we've been working on a development plan which is called just that a stag and town. nice to have you and former minister booker though tell everybody here you are welcome to the city. thank you very much my name is for all of you know i know and i am. in harlem este and i am full of the investments trade and industry in. i'm really curious about this idea that maybe africa was a continent is sometimes of governance the citizens are not very happy because multiple different countries madam president when you came into power your commute to power after a civil war one of your your prime objectives was just to keep people in a peaceful situation i can see

a lot of similar situations across the african continent now what would be your guidance you advice to those different countries in those different citizens having experienced it myself leaders must continue to engage population to have going back to sleep paid and make them feel themselves as older as. typically young population yes you know young relation in the world today are going to be the more dynamic in countries and. you know sure we need to listen. to the people in communities. in cities. respect their priorities recognize their capacity is. still. i believe that. being the index moyar him he makes i chiefly 2019 and has introduced

citizens for a session young people a session. with television tory to our leaders about what you need to do to show that you respond to the knees of the people and you keep them feeling that they are a part of what the country wants to succeed at a benefit and they contribute with all the lead us toward a common goal of development. and prosperity for citizens. there's one there's a dozen a lot of pressure on need is across the african continent they need to do this for the citizens and why isn't that better governance but the reason you came into politics was because you went happy with what was happening in somalia and you wrote up a sleaze and you got to look so it's almost like civil society has a role to play. new dissatisfies and i need it in action tell us about.

it's interesting you call it civil society. i came from the private voluntary basis people often think about it but what is clear is that we all have a role it's i think the engagement of communities and that's precisely across the i've taken in office which is to bring to bear an approach which has community ownership it has technology and it has to form and management at its heart. so the dissatisfaction really i think is a message about governance that you know the people we the people who want the services who need the services who need to see development should and can step forward to be a part of that but those who are now in government have a role to ensure that space is there and it's not always there and i think it's

really important that you know madame president talks about participation and there are practical ways in which this can be done 2 examples or 3 examples of that when i came into office we engage 15000 residents in focus groups beyond out in the tree town which is a climate change climate mitigation strategy we've engaged communities as tree stewards and very recently just in the last week we are digital town halls giving communities giving residents the opportunity to engage the vote on priorities using a whatsapp platform for how money raised in their wards and property rates how it should be used so bringing us all into the space but also the residents of the citizens recognising that we have

a role to play. i wrote to put this point to you in eugene i'm not surprised it's come up super early this is boo not thanks who are watching yes we are in crisis because most of african leaders are acting like they're going to rule for centuries allowing none of their competitors any space in political participation all right no filter take the filter off respond to that you to comment. i would have to. agree with that we have had a bit of a challenge in inclusion of young people inclusion of women inclusion of people with disabilities. in governance only that in itself it is a challenge to our nose in a consonant and you know during my term as minister during that period i was in to be to assess that i was the youngest minister cabinet minister in the country and

there were a mirada of challenges that came with in the only one in all the times but what i took that as a challenge to ask other presidents to up on to young people and i can safely say when you look at various countries across africa. since then you have seen in the media. who's 23 years old you have. a few of those in east africa well in that there. is a we have seen a little bit of a change but what we need to do is to ensure that we are seeing for acts that to politics to be cheaper midges the cost as the cost continues to rise it is on the team i mean eating some people to participate in politics and needs to start working on that but we also need to use what we know best to just social media

which is going to meant an audit to really try for. our force and ensure that we are active participants. and usually to say being an active participant and governance doesn't are being in a politics it means a lot of being in civil society being active. decision will be done in the country general. at the soldier i notice yes and that was just over a week ago as we were leading up to the election compelling for uganda and it was an animation of president was 70 dart saying what occurred to me was that there was an awareness on the african continent that there are young people who are the voters that there are your citizens and you have to find some way to appeal to them here is an animation a president in 70 doing the jerusalem i dance have

a look. you . know i. do. not. so madam president i'm not going to see commenting on the dancing skills of an animated president 70 but this is the african union summit from february of last year and i'm looking at fees leaders and else i know some of them are going to be. amazing leaders and some of them are going to be average and some of them will

be mediocre some will be terrible but this idea about the quality of leadership and leadership being ready to lead a young continent how do you address them. let me 1st say when i look at the photo of the last african union summit i feel ashamed because what it means is that we've gone back to the status quo when i see african people and i'd like people even the every given leaders accepted me and they became colleagues and we work together and i really enjoy hearing and i think the media a woman says it's disappointing that we haven't yet prepare. a woman to to us to replace you know to be the next one that becomes a woman president in africa now we have training all of our young people to prepare them for the. there to be

a piano engine they're taken. professionals and they're ready it's just unfair for anyone to stay in office a 20 year 37 years of more than that. because you don't want to give up power and i believe that the changes coming i think our young people i demand mean that they have to change let us not say that one transition takes place one will get to be young leader who will be able to perform the satisfaction of their people the satisfaction of the international community but we have enough of them ready for leadership in my administration i made sure i said to. young people and women because those other 2 to have been

marginalized in society and it's time for a change to address those iniquity. moves on i would need to react to eke out a cow is from garner and he makes this point listen in income right off the back of his feet he would. be the future is digital and leadership of the future can best be done by. this kind of mission of young leaders and aspirants digitalisation and dismissed as bit our quest to shield issues yes powerful let's look around as efficient builders as they can when most of it is we do various aspects of it was a lazy is going digital in our business that preaches for the future begins to be and that is where now more than ever it's important to come with you in strategic leadership positions to transform our world i contribute in more. technology is definitely going to it's already

a leader in the way and we need our young people to have the opportunity to bring that technology to bear in the way governance is done in the way services are delivered but we also have an obligation at the same time which is to make sure that those young people at the pad it's all well and good to talk about having the u.s. in leadership but when you have situations where you still have high school dropout rates you still have poor access to education poor access to health i'm still there it's a combined approach i would agree with the speaker just now that you know digit sell the digital world is a world in with the youth lead but i would also say we have a responsibility towards those new it's not good in at the there is still for pressure work which needs to be done alongside. unusual business a vibrant conversation gone this is quote i'm going to put this to you bobo africa

is young it needs young leadership young great minds the elderly arts are scared of making mistakes but the young know they make a mistake it will stick with them for a long time to curry with that. yes yes and you know. i believe that when you're young and. you think about it a lot. i remember. people who mayn't. proposals that i didn't completely agree with that would remind them that i am a young person and i will still be held accountable for the coming 16 because i was appointed extreme to $930.00 and so i saw a long way to go well someone might. have 5 years and accountability might not reach them in that time so you think long and hard speeches.

instead of being big. is there ever been be creased an economy or a decision. and you're giving it to yourself and you're. in the generator center and you us wait to need their church to see the kind of inheritance you even to the next generations over again and you know it's just makes things that a lot more different your decision making process is a lot different but i'm deuced you know i think is great and here in having. a blend of leadership. and the young because you learn from the wisdom that comes with having been in an office for 10 years from being in office for 15 years always generally in the public service and you think some of those nuggets and you look when opportunity to why deny the nugget that come with

some of that wisdom and i read that it will give an example when i was a minister. who was minister ends up in africa and he had been a minister of trade for like 20 years we argued a lot about our differences but when we chained together with the new age thinking as i made that i brought and he grasps that experience we ended up finding some sort of a compromise that made things work and missed. out that we had so much we need. and tourists to our voices at the timor. audience i want to show you something right here this is ellen johnson sirleaf presidential center for women and development unleashing africa's greatest results

that greatest resource is women. there's a whole program of networking so women leaders this is the 2020 intake there's a 2021 intake new was a 2 of i guess here that you will recognize remarkable african see mal liza's that our difficulties does not just being a good leader on the african continent but being a female lead on the african continent madam president i would love to hear can nice who points out that it is not easy has a comment i think it's very important to keep in mind that women have always assumed leadership positions whether it is in their homes in neighborhoods in the governments up to national governments women have always been i myself have recently undertaken the role for a minister at the age of $35.00 in mali what i have noticed and it's

a question of perception is that what is expected of women leaders is of a match higher standard of what is expected from women from men leaders and that is probably because we always have to prove we women that there is a genuine logical reason that explains our presence and that probably needs to change. but in president is it changing are you helping to change a perception of what is on the african continent is changing not fast enough. not enough really in terms of being the quantities of people that are going to. ask women. but right now women have cleaning that leadership at all levels and just as was correctly said it's not just leaders at the pinnacle not just presidents of prime ministers or minister

us their leaders at a community levels their leaders in traditional society to their remaining is their business leaders you know all over africa that are excelling in what we do what we need to do is to ensure that we have many many more that we have streams of women leaders who are preparing themselves for leadership who are already earning to leadership and what ever level they are in but i am moving on to higher levels and we must get them into the oxygen bus we must get them as presidents when the end of the power and the influence to be changed you must get them as minister who must get them into parliament to lead they can help them make the laws they were to remain in they were promoted children women bring

a certain sense into the it into leadership that makes them to be this you need a strongly integrity more commitment more empathy more humanity and at the same time women can also be tough women can be hard decisions here and don't care if they're not popular when those decisions up to him is that good but i'm going to get it to them both you can be balanced oh. i feel the toughness the palace of evan a sing off the screen as all 3 of us being on the string today together ravel when are you going to be president. i'm focusing right now on running a city which is a huge child represents 30 percent of our economy 15 percent of our population so i think we've got let's fix the city that was the one place the madame solis missed

out we need a women in local government leadership it's a critical gap on the african continent. does that was a typical politician is obscene she didn't say i wasn't running for president you shouldn't say that but i know you i know you're not net one piece of advice for another young politician or young leader you know they would find even valuable in a sentence what with the advice. youth leadership is that african we have made to believe you need a ship as an african and i have chatterer no road again you look at the president's founding fathers mothers are africa who indeed who are revenues in areas they were in their twenty's or their teens and some of them as though they're as presidents at least started when they're young you know if you know have

any doubt that you belong it is your time you can contribute take away that doubt has used leadership is african and we can challenge it we can bait you look for in mentor like my dumb president that can be how cute in the money getting to the streets of politics because the truth and you need to be tactful and audit to become successful and just be careful get out and learn the ropes and watch out for the landmines i know he said in my line but i gather her bike it is nothing to her when it's around air politicians and leaders madam president thank you very much madam thank you. thank you so much on looking forward to when you will be president as well have a look here on my laptop everyway a couple conceive need to visit i know you've been inspired by this conversation

ellen johnson sirleaf presidential center for women and development look it up but do you think you might make the cut the 2022 and then of course this is where we started with the abraham index of african governance you can check out your country your country that you are interested in even if you're not on the african continent that wraps up the back of the station for today thanks for watching.

world takes a road trip across spain spanish people enough to tell you they are and where they come from and i am no exception. one woman's journey seeking her heritage covering new insights into christie in spite of muslim origin it's a story that seems to have been airbrushed from history. in search of moderates on

al-jazeera. holding the powerful to account as we examine the u.s. its role in the world on al-jazeera. is final hours as u.s. president dogs $73.00 among them for my steve by the. i'm sam this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up. to shine the lights the darkness along. with. remember all. joe biden all those more than 400000 americans who died in the current virus paul.