Salma Kikwete

"Because of previous efforts we have made, our roles are more visible now than any other time before. To date, many initiatives are in place to deal with issues of women from global level to the grassroots. More resources are being allocated and better coordination of programmes, such as UN WOMEN and the universalisation of rights, are more evident"

"These statistics, in a nutshell, informs us that gaps remain in so many areas. In their totality, they call for more efforts to address the structural imbalances that hinder the realisation of women rights and welfare"

"I believe the report will give a befitting profile to the women and development agenda."

"We recognise, with admiration, its participation [the government] on the World Commission on Information and Accountability for Children’s and Women’s Health and the African Leaders Initiative Against Malaria (ALMA). These efforts altogether deserve special mention and our support"

"I believe you are all here today celebrating your graduation because you avoided pregnancy during your time in primary and secondary school. I therefore urge you to use the skills and experience you acquired to make sure that early pregnancies are no longer a problem that prevent your younger sisters from fulfilling their dreams"

"As a former first lady of this nation and a mother, i am proud to witness these achievements because it proves that our efforts towards provision of education are not futile."

"It saddens me to see sometimes even children under-five forced into labour, many of them are from poor families, so they do this for a living"

"Language has no borders. We need to take a front row position and become pioneers of our respective language across borders to facilitate communication."

"We need to feel pride in our language. We need to acknowledge the fact that Kiswahili bare the same value as any other language and never should we demean our language or any other culture whatsoever."

"He will tell you that he sees only you in his dreams, but when he impregnates you he will vanish, not to be seen again...Don't rush things, there is never too late in this world, we were all like you some time ago but we managed to stay focused and here we are."

"This is what some of us can afford to do, bring you here and offer you with quality education. It remains with you to make full use of it, and you shouldn't let go of it. Your families and country needs your services, pull up your socks and take your rightful positions in the society when you finish with your education."