Monrovia — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Liberia early Monday to attend the inauguration of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

The 73-year-old Sirleaf, who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize shortly before her re-election last  year, has become a symbol of women's potential in Africa. She is the first and only elected female head of state on the continent.

Clinton will meet privately with the Harvard-educated Sirleaf, before attending the president's
inauguration. She will then fly to neighboring Ivory Coast, for her second Africa stop.

Sirleaf is lionized abroad, but she faced a tough re-election battle because the country is still
reeling from heavy unemployment following the 14-year civil war that ended in 2003.