"There’s been a lot of talk, and a lot of research but now it’s time for action. And how do you have this action translate properly on the continent? By very quickly, clearly, concisely, looking at the transactions themselves."

"I think there needs to be a paradigm shift from the way we look at collaboration."

"Africa is getting tired of receiving aid, adding that it would be more beneficial for the continent to take charge of its future."

"I'm more reform oriented. I like to start things that were not in existence. I get bored going to things that have already been said. I'm constantly looking for innovation."

"We’re still learning, and we will continue to learn because COVID-19 is so devastating and so impactful that we don’t think the learning period is over. The pandemic drove home to the continent the level of dependency on everything."

"Your father left me for a beautiful woman. I told him I was pregnant but he didn’t want to hear it. He sliced me like okra and left."

"Baba Segi only comes to deposit his seed in my womb. He doesn’t smile or tickle me. He doesn’t make jokes about my youth; he just rams me into the mattress…"

"Taju claimed that he’d beaten his wife senseless for letting his only son suck on a coin. This happened about a week after a male senator slapped a female colleague. The slap had resonated through all the quiet meeting rooms of the senate building and into the heart of every man on the street…men were slapping their womenfolk as if it had become a national sport…peeved taxi drivers prodded the heads of mothers who bargained with them; young girls were assaulted and stripped naked in the streets. Even in the labour wards baby girls frowned upon by their fathers. Taju too was inspired to throw his best punch"

"Let us not allow the world to see our shame, let us keep our secrets from those who may seek to mock us"

"Even when the boys teased me over flap of flesh that circled my neck, I wasn't bothered. I looked at them and sniggered, knowing their father's fathers could not have a fraction of the wealth i have accummulated."

"My fingers liked the feel of money. My eye liked to see the piles of money swell. I worshipped money."

"“Don’t think I can’t see the challenges ahead of me. People will say I am a secondhand woman. Men will hurt and ridicule me but I won’t let them hold me back. I will remain in the land of the living. I am back now and the world is spread before me like an egg cracked open.”"

"“If you drag her by the hair, she’ll follow you anywhere, I swear it!”"

"“How could I tell her that I had failed to preserve my dignity? I was too ashamed to let her see the fickle shell I’d become. Inevitably, it became unbearable. The more she pushed, the more I resisted. I didn’t want a job! I didn’t want a white wedding! I just wanted the war between who I used to be and who I’d become to end. I didn’t want to fight anymore.”"

"“Men are so simple. They will believe anything.”"

"“Even listening in on their plans for me did not take the tomato seller off my mind. After searching for days, I traced her to the farmland on the edge of our village. When I saw her, courage failed me. My liver weakened and I could not bring myself to talk to her. I abandoned my fufu and stalked her, overjoyed to be breathing the air she was breathing. I saw every man she teased. A gasp escaped my lips every time she rolled her hips and jiggled the beads that adorned her waist. Sweat was dripping from my neck like rain from the awning. I can’t explain why but I wanted her for myself. I wanted to build a house for her and keep the key between my breasts. I wanted to dress her in the finest aso oke so she could parade herself for my delight alone. I wanted to lock her between my thighs.”"

"“My daughters were born with eyes in their stomachs so they are quick to digest all that they see.”"

"“Only a foolish woman leans heavily on a man's promises”"

"Anyone who laughs at you for showing your family respect is a fool."

"When a plan does not go right, you plot again. One day you will succeed. One day you will be able to damage the person who hurts you so completely that they will never be able to recover."

"The world has no patience for spinsters. It spits them out."

"Husband-sharing is ugly and, one way or another, someone's dreams are crushed when a new wife joins a household."

"Now, in my working life as a teacher and writer, and as a mother of four children, I watch with horror when women of my generation opt to be second or third wives. And I have been shocked by the ease with which men in their mid-30s marry additional wives."

"The sad truth is, polygamy constitutes a national embarrassment in any country that fantasises about progress and development. Polygamy devalues women and the only person who revels in it is the husband who gets to enjoy variety. You, poor women, will become nothing more than a dish at the buffet."

"A real woman must always do the things she wants to do, and in her own time too. You must never allow yourself to be rushed into doing things you're not ready for."

"I like doing things that put Africa and Africans on the map. My job and the stuff that I do allows me to come in contact with so many talented, incredibly hardworking people. Young but doing incredible stuff. I want the world to see them. And when I say the world, the truth is, in fact, more than anything, I’m talking about Africa, as in the African world."

"The choices we have to make in this world are hard and bitter. Sometimes we have no choices at all."

"Men are nothing. They are fools. The penis between their legs is all they are useful for. And even then, if not that women needed their seed for children, it would be better to sit on a finger of green plantain. Listen to my words. Only a foolish woman leans heavily on a man’s promises."

"Once you crash the idea of normal in your mind, all impossibilities become possible."

""We need to change the way we bring up women; otherwise Nigeria will not grow; when you educate a woman, you educate a nation"."

"Sexual violence does not just happen, it is a learned behaviour, people repeat patterns when they find out that there is no deterrent for a particular behaviour."

"Every party wants to put its best foot forward, and we are not sure that many are going to put women forward"

"People will say terrible things about you, especially in our part of the world where strong, intelligent women breaking the ranks and cracking the glass ceiling is considered against the norm. Your greatest critics will come from your inner circle – close friends, family, immediate bosses and even yourself."

"“Public service is very bureaucratic and routine. The chances of getting into the regular cycle is high. So, always re-invent yourself. Add something to the package of you that makes you a new improved product like marketers do... When it doesn’t work, know when to move on and be open to other opportunities. Take a break if you must and break new grounds.”"

"There is no greater threat to a woman’s agency than violence. As a leading donor supporting efforts to end gender-based violence, the Ford Foundation is further demonstrating its commitment to supporting action and advocacy to counter attitudes, narratives and behaviors that perpetuate sexual violence"

"Distinguish yourself, be indispensable. One of the dangers of the public service is that efficiency is difficult to measure and because of that, one can get easily drawn into the regular routine of ‘soldier go, soldier come; barrack remains’. Don’t fall for that."

"Your love for your job will influence people and bring you big responsibilities beyond your wildest imagination... while the public service can open you to great opportunities, it can also offer other attractions that can make you compromise your values – it comes with the territory. There will be many opportunities for compromise, you must stay focused and look at the big picture."

"The difference between a job and a calling is passion. A job will put food on the table, get you life’s luxuries, take you to places and all, but a job that’s a calling will give you fulfilment in addition and endless opportunities!"

"Success or leadership is not limited to a particular gender."

"I believe African women are burdened by the weight of patriarchy, misinterpretation of religious tenets and a culture that has refused to grow beyond the Stone Age."

"If you don’t stand for something, you’ll stand for nothing. While the public service can open you to great opportunities, it can also offer other attractions that can make you compromise your values – it comes with the territory. There will be many opportunities for compromise, you must stay focused and look at the big picture. Ask yourself some critical questions like: Is this why I am here? Why should I settle for less?”"

"Great challenges can also be areas of great strength."

"I believe that through my determination and love for Botswana, I can successfully, through the United Nations Population Fund, accomplish my goal of seeing the HIV statistics drop and having the women of Botswana get the necessary reproductive health care and facilities they need."

"I am very honoured that the United Nations Population Fund has realized the potential of what I could do in my country concerning the HIV/AIDS pandemic."

"We ought to tackle this problem [HIV/AIDS] and further improve our behaviour."

"Our nation is ripe with a multitude of successful people, who have achieved much for themselves with little impact on anyone else”."

"“A nation is not defined by its borders or the boundaries of its land mass Rather, a nation is defined by adverse people who have been unified by a cause and a value system and who are committed to a vision for the type of society they wish to live in and give to the future generations to come.”"

"People will try to intimidate you and change you when they think you don’t have confidence in who you are."