Businesswomen

"For example, we know cases where if a woman just raises her voice to make a point, she is often told she is hysterical or aggressive, but when a man does the same it’s accepted as being assertive."

"All women have to be aware of the pitfalls and these stereotypes and should equip themselves with the knowledge, experience and a lot of confidence, so that when they engage you in a discussion, they see past the woman and notice the person who is ably positioning herself and is able to deliver."

"As a strong advocate of advancing women in all positions, from boardroom to politics, I however also believe that while quotas are welcome, we have to be careful not to just put women in positions for the sake of filling the quotas. We have to have women fill these positions because they are qualified and capable of doing the job. Because if they are not, then we create a situation where it’s like, “look we gave a woman a chance but she couldn’t do the job”. So we have to make sure women are ready when the quotas come, because we are able, we are capable, we are qualified and have the right skills."

"I think that issue starts with education, because you can only empower women financially once they are educated. They need to be empowered with knowledge, be given resources including training, to sharpen their capabilities. And by that I mean at all levels – even at the most basic level. For example, if a woman is trying to set up a small stall, it is important to empower them with some financial literacy."

"Solutions don’t just lie in the boardrooms run by managers, they can start from the grassroots. And solutions that are technology-based are great because you can reach more people."

"Once women are able to have this strong base, they will have a much stronger voice to speak up against exclusion."

"My belief is that where there are programmes supporting women in more practical ways, in terms of policy, deliberate structures and frameworks that enhance their commercial activities or financial inclusion, access to credit and more, the result is that women do even better and succeed at all levels of society."

"Firstly, the sky is the limit. They should believe in themselves, but also they should equip themselves with quality skills and education. They have to be aware that they cannot just dream and hope it happens. They need to be ready and equipped with the right skills when that big opportunity comes calling."

"But I think it is important for all women who have succeeded and achieved in their own right, to find the time to mentor and create reality for this future generation."

"I also believe that no matter at what level of your career, as a woman you have to have a good balance between your work life and your family life."

"Even as we juggle both worlds, we have to stay true to ourselves – remain the strong and able woman that you are – and always remember we will never turn into a man. Stay true to yourself and achieve what you need to achieve, and get your job done."

"I think a new African woman is confident, assertive, brave, proud and ready to accomplish anything in any field. And the current generation, unlike in the past, have an added advantage of real-life inspirational examples of women who have achieved so much."

"It is important to address systemic, structural and financial challenges that hinder young people from realizing their potential and take advantage of opportunities presented by COMESA and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)"

"Country people tend to be proud of their forebears, too. It’s the same for me. I am very proud of my forebears."

"People seem to think that you just turn up and open the mine and revenue flows, but it’s not like that. You have to invest billions before the first dollar even flows."

"Small business have more to fear from government than big business."

"Being in a male-dominated environment means you must be, at the very least, twice as good as your male counterparts."

"People become and stay financially independent when they have a viable source of economic livelihood"

"With some productions, should you get pregnant the possibility of you not working is high because they would have to change the storyline, so you have to plan your life around your career."

"Being raised by a single mother had its challenges. I had a good upbringing but because we did not have a television at home I had to watch from our neighbours. Growing up in Bloemfontein was OK but there were no opportunities for what I wanted, but the fire in me kept me going."

"I love how they have written the storylines for her; the story has helped me as an actress to grow and it was so amazing to go through certain things at the same time as she was going through them.” One similarity she points to between her and her character is the drive to achieve their goals and get what they want"

"Dintle, for me, has grown tremendously as a person and I believe that she has learnt from her past mistakes. For me as an actress, I have grown with her, although she is younger than me but believe it or not we are similar in the things we have gone through."

"Google is your friend, that sister who has a child is your friend because you want to talk about what's coming. That's why I started a movement called Mommy Diaries, where mothers come together and talk about all things motherhood."

"One thing I've also learned about this journey is that when you're pregnant, you want to have a friend who is also pregnant, someone you can relate to, someone you talk to."

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed but the mother, never. A mother is something new.""

"I was never in this situation to be like, 'Ah, let me hurt people',"

"I am not going to apologise for anything. What I will say is I did not know I was going to be at the State House, and I didn't know I was going to be in a situation that was going to look politically charged. Because, generally, once people have made a decision, you can't change their minds."

"To show a different narrative of Zimbabwe, that there's beauty, invite people to come and spend money in Zimbabwe… show that Zimbabwe is powerful and incredible in its own special ways."

"When I was asked to go to Zimbabwe, there was one thing I was told; tourism."

"We should be signing another bilateral agreement with Angola, a country that hasn’t definitively entered COMESA yet. Trade between our countries is once more a normal tariff. When we sign this agreement we will be able to ensure that our industry here will have an export market. That bilateral agreement puts Zambia at an advantage because we can’t get our products into that market on a duty-free basis at the moment. Angola doesn’t produce much, and they want everything from Zambia: rice, sugar, fruits, vegetables and they also want chickens and eggs. They want everything, and here we are. If we can build up the capacity within our industries, we are able to use Angola as a market."

"My challenge to them was to come here and don’t look on Zambia as somewhere where they’re just going to take their goods. “Look at Zambia as somewhere you can also get goods into South Africa” I said. And I’m happy to say that now Zambian honey has finally entered the South African market. The things that we’re trying to do to support industries such as honey, pineapples, cassava, are oriented to strengthen the value chain and to be able to produce for non-traditional exports. Within this context, the Tripartite is key."

"In the medium term I see things improving mainly because of what we’re concentrating on as a government. In my ministry in particular, traditional exports will grow. Some of the things that we’re doing to enhance them is strengthening our relations with our immediate neighbors like DRC for example. Congo is in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) but they have not yet reached a stage where they can fully liberalize for us to trade freely."

"When the procedures for starting a business and the licenses are expensive with tedious procedures, entrepreneurs avoid that cost by operating informally."

"If we do not position our industry to become a key regional player, we will be faced with high levels of imports into our country, which can lead to the death of local industry."

"The opportunity is out there. If I don’t put a road there, how do I harness the potential that is there. Debt, much as it looks high, it’s a debt for the future."

"I really believe that economic emancipation through women is something that can turn this country around."

"Encouraging people to become employers is one of the key elements to the growth of the private sector and the fostering of the entrepreneurial spirit."

"Women have been disadvantaged for a long time. My appeal to women is, they should come forward and show case their talents and skills."

"We dated for about two years before we got married. When we started dating we both felt that we needed to give our relationship a fair chance. Building a new relationship is hard, and when it's done in the public eye it's 10 times harder."

"We’ve always believed that our platforms are bigger than us. “Influence” comes with responsibility.... As couples, we need to create healthy environments within our homes to start having these hard conversations honestly. Change can only come when we face this head-on"

"I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Nema. I was so excited and scared at the same time. Being a mother has changed my life completely, and I'm loving every moment of it."

"If I have to write a book, it will be one to empower people, to advise people. I don't think I want to give a memoir of how I have had sex or how many times I have had an abortion; it doesn't make sense."

"If everyone came out to tell a story of what people have done to them every step of the way, do you think we would be safe in this world or country (Ghana)??? Don't act like you are a saint when you're not."

"I don’t believe in the past, I only believe that whatever happened then should be able to make me strong and put me on the right path so that I can be a better version of myself."

"I was a very shy child, but whenever I had to participate in a pageant, I was forced outside of my comfort zone, which I feel is one of the biggest life lessons I learned from my mother. We only grow when we are outside of what is familiar and easy."

"There is no shame in being direct, being firm and fighting for what you believe, and it actually doesn’t matter if other people feel uncomfortable with your talents and your prowess."

"She’s strong and stands tall but also gentle, loving and compassionate."

"The modern woman is whoever and whatever she wants to be, because she is fiercely independent but also open with her vulnerabilities."

"We still respect the customs instilled by our parents. We still respect tradition, but we have to know when to say no, and push back"

"This doesn’t mean that women have to be disrespectful to their male counterparts, in fact, I have found that most men want to be helpful and they themselves are trying to manoeuvre and find their place in a changing world."