"I would throw them (boots) out the window, then go out the door, and they'd think maybe she's just going outside, and then I'd go round to get them."

"It means a lot for everyone and the country at large. It is encouraging for women, not even the men’s team qualified… we made history."

"The way I used to play in Zambia and how I played in Europe was quite different."

"Each team you play, [it] offers good competition. [Playing in Spain] helped me to improve in so many ways."

"He used to encourage me to practise… he was also in football. He encouraged me by telling me if that is my talent or if I liked it, I should concentrate on it."

"Kids didn't go to school or even have a place to learn, some would spend a day or two days hungry, so I decided it would be better if I just gave everything up and started a school under a tree."

"After that my daughter, her name is Grace, she found out about TikTok and she joined. I registered in my name and she used it to watch videos on my account - then we made a dance video. She was like, 'we should make more videos."

"I said I can't because I'm not a dance person, but I decided to share a bit of my life - feeding the kids, educating them under a tree, and people were really interested and my account started gaining traction until I was verified."

"We were only informed by the clinic that she had died around 04:00 hours, stating that she had low Blood Pressure,” Mulenga said."

"She was very selfless, the best boss I ever had. She never cared about herself but about the well being of the children especially the girl child, and also the boy child. She dedicated her whole life to work for them."

"When we received the news of her death, the mood of the school changed. The children were so broken and it is very devastating. Everyone is just sad. He said"

"I don’t dwell on regrets. There are many things in my life I could, with hindsight, have done differently but I don’t regret them. The mistakes have contributed to who and where I am today."

"In stories I look for originality. I am also big on characters. A story that has me thinking about a character or characters long after I have turned the last page works for me."

"Writing is very subjective. It is also solitary. My advice to all writers is focus and invest time in your writing. Do your homework in terms of submitting manuscripts to the right publishers etc. At the end of the day, it is your writing. It is your story and you have to take responsibility for it and not rely or expect help from anyone."

"I grew up in Zambia surrounded by books but I was not much of a reader. I did however talk a lot and tell a lot of stories as a child. I think it was this passion for telling stories that eventually translated into writing much later in my life."

"Write your heart out and persevere, persevere, persevere!"

"My advice to all writers is focus and invest time in your writing ...At the end of the day, it is your writing. It is your story and you have to take responsibility for it and not rely or expect help from anyone."

"Going forward, the Bank remains committed to offering unique business propositions that are relevant to various customer segments so that it truly is a financial partner to help customers achieve their financial needs."

"Our agenda transcends just meeting the financial scorecard. It is about being a force for good in society. We want to bring possibilities to life. As a Bank that has been in Zambia for over 100 years, we have a deep knowledge of the market and are able to tailor solutions suited to this environment."

"The Bank continues to be a key financier of projects that positively impact the economy like the Zambia Sugar expansion project, the infrastructure projects resulting in the building of various malls in the country and the energy sector where the Bank supported the coal-fired electricity plan in Maamba."

"The biggest challenge most clients face in the market is the lack of access to capital. Absa Zambia is currently the biggest lender in the country among financial institutions providing support to key sectors of the economy."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"We have many women now leading big financial institutions, which many people never imagined a woman could lead."

"The skills and abilities anyone brings to a job are what matter, not because you are a man or woman."

"The assumption is always that if it’s a man, he will succeed and a woman will struggle and fail. This mindset needs to be changed and done away with."

"What you can achieve or what you are capable of is taken away simply because you are a woman."

"But had it been a man taking up the same position, none of this would have come up. It is just taken on face value that men are capable and that’s why they get into these high positions."

"I would say, yes. You know, when a woman gets into a position of power, even me as secretary general of COMESA, a lot of people assumed it was given to me because “it’s time a woman led COMESA”. But the facts are that I did not get into this position as a token."

"But we should applaud ourselves where we have women in these positions because in some respects we have moved up, more so in the corporate world where there is more of a level playing field than in politics. This perhaps is because in politics the chances for women to make it higher up are harder."

"There are just so many complex issues that come in when women are vying for positions in politics – issues that usually suppress women all the time, but not the men."

"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)"

"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."

"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 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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

"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."