Jewel Taylor

"Firstly, becoming the first female vice president of my nation broke the mould that only men were capable of being vice presidents."

"Over the past 24 years, thousands of young women have taken advantage of the opportunities provided; through my personal support and that of the Jewel Star Fish Foundation, many of whom are positively impacting their world in many fields of study."

"I encountered challenging times during my tenure as vice president, primarily due to the conventional expectation of maintaining a quiet demeanour. History showed all vice presidents preceding me adhered to a policy of silence and following the leader. Being a woman and an advocate for women’s rights, I felt compelled to speak up about many issues."

"The age-old barriers to women’s empowerment are structural, patriarchal, discriminatory laws and low capacities. We must eliminate all forms of violence against women and adopt parity laws."

"The truth is that politics is tough terrain, but it takes a clear vision, proper planning and execution of plans, commitment, hard work and consistency to succeed. Despite the many challenges, women should not allow themselves to be left out of the process."

"Youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing our government. Youth employment is a key component of our Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. To address unemployment, we need a strong private sector."

"Africa is the last frontier, with about 40 per cent of the world’s natural resources and the fastest-growing population globally…It’s time for an African industrial revolution."

"I hope my voice, and the voices of others who contracted the disease will let people know that this pandemic is real…COVID-19 is not a hoax or a conspiracy theory."

"My message is simple: dream, prepare, build, remain committed, and don’t forget to encourage and mentor others. This is the formula for success, whether you are a man or a woman. The world is for the strong, the bold, the creative and the committed. Keep in mind that everything is possible."

"As you know, peace is a sine qua non for everything and luckily we have had this peace cemented with the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the president. And for years we managed to put in place structures and laws to ensure that we will not derail from the peace. Once you have peace all other things are possible."

"The higher you climb, the tougher it is. There will come many challenges from new counterparts and even colleagues who will be your loudest critics when you make a mistake. So what I had to do was to find a way, not to just rely on my pretty face sitting in the legislature."