"Men, we need you. We women share this earth with you and cannot afford to be disunited from you. This means we demand to be included in the heavily-male saturated halls of power and also need your presence and power behind our causes for equity and justice. We need you as our allies,our Fathers, Brothers, Husbands and Sons. We need you on this global task force to right societal wrongs. We cannot make sustainable change without you on board, without you using your agency to protect the whole."

"If you continue to hurt half of your population, your industry, your workforce, then you bind your own hands from achieving growth."

"Earlier this year, we saw the 2 millionth subscription to the Spinlet service, and our website sees 1,300 unique visitors a day on average. In order of volume, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya are where most of our users are based, though we are seeing a gradual increase in UK and US subscriptions as well."

"AI could be the very tool that allows us to leapfrog and monetise our cultural assets to the next level. Ignoring this shift will be a mistake."

"Music, art, film, fashion, and all creative mediums are unified by a common theme: their ability to powerfully communicate, and engage people through narrative."

"Gain as much knowledge as you can – know your rights, know the policies, and know who you can go to for help to ensure they are properly implemented."

"Silence can – quite literally – kill, and when you speak out against workplace inequality and harassment, you stand up not only for yourself but for the conditions of all women."

"The creative industry in Nigeria has the potential to drive growth, innovation, and employment, but it lacks scalable and predictable investment frameworks."

"It’s time for our creatives to see themselves not just as artists, but as business people, institution builders, and financially literate architects of enterprise."

"Our creative industry will not and cannot achieve its full potential through isolated success stories."

"Be creative, think out of the box. Identify your unique selling point and always make a concious effort to improve on yourself."

"First it takes believing in yourself to be a pioneer in an industry that no one was sure of what the future held."

"it’s always also good to surround yourself with good people. People that are like your mentors, that will guide you. People that have also gone through what you went through."

"We cannot be everything, every time in our lives. You have to determine how you want to make it work."

"You can't compare yourself to other families, because you do not know what is going on in their homes. It's about knowing what you want so a balance can be created."

"One is the ability to organise− you are managing people, so you must know how to organise. You must be diplomatic. Pay attention to detail. Interpersonal skills are skills you must learn. There are also attributes such as knowing how to manage a crisis, being result-oriented, being very resourceful, being creative, and having the ability to manage a team. There are so many character traits that an event planner must have, but at the same time, there are non-negotiable skills. You must learn how to negotiate, have good communication skills, and have good relationship skills."

"One of the things I’d say is lacking is the lack of standard, in the sense that everybody is working to a standard where nobody understands what is expected."

"To many people, their relationship rests on their related professional calling but it goes beyond that."

"Our business philosophy is hinged on integrity, transparency and high ethical standards."

"Being able to nurture the womb (women) of Africa, was truly a honor, an experience I will never forget."

"I don’t have to rely on my own judgment which when you’re on the go- can be a disaster."

"Our goal is to make Africa a reference destination for luxury brands. Adiree observed the way Africa is seen and what happened for designers who associated with us during our Fashion Week"

"The positive perception of African fashion is due to a couple of factors, and actors"

"My dream for Africa is to promote our own fashion. The continent has many millionaires. They should be able to spend for fashion products right at home. It is a starting point for a process of responsibility for national brands"

"Africa is everywhere. We are highlighting the fact that African fashion is something that not only inspires people on the continent or is of interest to people on the continent but it’s competitive globally"

"Adirée has created this kind of trend where people are understanding [that] by creating Africa Fashion Week in [global] fashion capitals, you’re kind of bridging both worlds. You’re allowing these business transactions to happen or to be built on platform that everyone knows and loves, which is fashion"

"I think what makes African fashion different from other fashion is the sustainability. … As much as we want to shy away from talking about the hardships and the economic disparities in Africa, at the end of the day it is still a developing continent"

"They are teaching women how to be self-reliant and helping to develop their business skills by hiring them, helping them to create clothes. When you’re supporting designers from Africa who manufacture in Africa, it’s that sustainable impact that they are having"

"Africa grows despite all the challenges we see."

"The walk track is the talk track. We do the work, then we talk about it"

"Too many people skim – they read a 50-word post on LinkedIn and now they think they’re an expert. I need people who are actually curious, who ask questions before they jump to judgment, people who listen to understand, not just to respond. I’m looking for people who have courage… when there’s tension, that’s when you have great work. You have to find people who have the courage to take risks"

"I want people who are swimming, not skimming"

"You cannot just use AI at a basic level. You have to treat it as additional horsepower. If my seven-year-old could use a gen-AI tool to make a movie and if you, as someone with 20 years of experience, produce the exact same thing, then yes, we have more content, but more isn’t necessarily better"

"I use AI now almost every hour of every working day"

"What I say to my team is that AI is raising the floor and the ceiling. You have to be AI proficient, but that’s just the floor, right? How do we crack and break through the ceiling"

"I want to become… I’m not going to be so bold as to say an expert, but I want to make sure that I know enough to be able to make good decisions. I know enough to be curious. I know enough to allocate resources in the right way"

"When you’re taking these risks, I always give the credit to the team, but you have to be willing to say, ‘Who’s the executive sponsor? Who is this hanging on?’ And you have to be willing to say, ‘Hey, this is all me.’ And so having that courage gives the team permission. Because when you show that you’re willing to take a risk, you’re willing to go out on a limb, that’s where great things happen, because you unlock the creativity of your team. But if you create a culture where no one wants to take any risks, you don’t get any reward"

"I knew there was authenticity there"

"This is a strategic brand partnership, but to actually get it all the way through, it had to be a cross-functional initiative, right?"

"This was an NBDB [never been done before]"

"We need a world where more people in positions of power reflect the population, and so I think about how I can contribute to that in a small way"