"I think it gave me my voice because I learned very quickly there isn’t a lot of help. We learned how to speak up for ourselves and how to identify micro-aggressions."

"We were some of the experimental kids of the new rainbow nation and we battled a lot"

"I don’t even have words to describe it"

"I am based in France for the past 12 years, and I have been running Undiscovered Canvas (promoting global investment in and profiling of African Art). My strongest impact has been to identify young and emerging artists from Southern Africa and introduce them directly into a mature market"

"I realised that my vision for the residency was changing. I no longer wanted to cater for Undiscovered Canvas artists only, but I wanted to work with female artists across the African continent. I wanted to create a powerful community of women artists, collectors, gallerists, investors who would consciously support each other."

"I realised how limiting it was to run the residency under a private company. Raising funds was not easy and the residency only catered for artists by Undiscovered Canvas"

"We must see this clearly for what it is—a maternal health crisis. That is why we must continue to fight to protect the lives of every woman and every mother in our nation"

"Becoming a mother and looking at my daughter and the world she’ll grow up in helped me find my voice and speak on some things I would’ve shied away from before."

"Motherhood is the thing that has touched me the most, really normalizing mothers in sport and women not having to choose between that part of life and staying in their professions"

"I wanna be the perfect"

"I think a have so much fear about speaking out or just having an opinion on something."

"It has been such a privilege, an honour, and my greatest blessing to stand here tonight"

"Tonight, I am really grateful that I was able to stand on the track one more time in the 100m finals"

"I came into this championship with so many odds, but I made the final. And I think that is a huge accomplishment. I remember in 2007 when I started, I was unsure what I wanted to do, but I walked away with so much from the championship. This time around, I came with all those experiences from years of participating in the championships"

"One of my greatest blessings is seeing athletes who are inspired by me across generations. It has been a blessing to interact with those athletes, and I hope that there is something they can take from this journey"

"Today, we have the power to change the world in a way that the champions who came before us did not. If we recognize this opportunity and act together, then our achievements as sportswomen and men will only be the beginning of our legacies"

"This is a power and a responsibility that is new to our generation. If we see a need for change in our sport or our society, we should speak out. And we must also enact that change ourselves – by using our profile and our platform to engage with the issues closest to our hearts."

"We are all competitors, but when we compete we should show respect for our sport – for the rules, for our opponents and for the people who cheer us on. Sport is in our hearts, and we should show the world that it is fun and inclusive. Sport has a unique power to speak to young people, and its message should always be a positive one"

"Our influence in the world around us can be more significant than any of us imagine today – and it could last well beyond our final race, or goal, or jump. Together, we can be a force for good in the world around us. And that can start with the example we set, both on and off the field of play,"

"Beyond these, I am drawn to the richness of this great country. Richness not summed in any currency, but in the people."

"I am strong in the midst of all this because of ONLY one person in my life, my powerful wife, VICTORIA LEBENE MEKPAH now MRS. OSAFO-NKANSAH. I was single and wasn’t finding real love. I never knew I would find a permanent place in the heart of one woman but guess what, I chose to marry the forever beautiful Victoria Lebene."

"I'm facing the biggest public shame ever in my life, but in the midst of the shame, the public ridicule, the insults, the trolls and the judgements, there's only one woman who has found the courage to stand by me and doing everything as a wife. Today I proudly celebrate you Mrs. Nkansah. If this is not an Angel, then I don't know who she is, if this is not every man's dream then I don't know what men want."

"Once the man I am with is okay why I should bother about what others think? Whatever anyone says is no news to me so far as my man is okay with everything I do."

"You can be anything you want to be.......IT IS POSSIBLE! Just make up your mind, get at it, go hard at it, don’t give up."

"Don't say fix and not fix yourself! Change starts with us the youths. The old folks will leave, and when we hold the fort, we will account to everything we do! COURSE- Means the Direction, Route, Way, the journey!."

"If I have to write a book, it will be one to empower people, to advise people. I don't think I want to give a memoir of how I have had sex or how many times I have had an abortion; it doesn't make sense."

"I don’t believe in the past, I only believe that whatever happened then should be able to make me strong and put me on the right path so that I can be a better version of myself."

"If everyone came out to tell a story of what people have done to them every step of the way, do you think we would be safe in this world or country (Ghana)??? Don't act like you are a saint when you're not."

"It's a profound honour to be associated with the Vlisco brand and carry the torch from my predecessor, Eugenia Tachie-Menson, who performed her role so well. I am incredibly honoured to fill the shoes of such great women. I want to thank everyone who voted for me and I'm looking forward to the year ahead (2016)."

"When I had the opportunity to be her (Yvonne) friend for two years, I realized she was a good person and at some point in time, I think I did some things that were wrong and I see nothing wrong with me coming out to write a song saying I'm sorry. That was special to me. She was a special friend to me."

"Guys, don't let the internet rush you oooooo!!!!! Life is not a competition!!! Life is working for you in your own time zone. You're not too late or too early."

"There are two types of men; the one who can spoil you financially now and the one who can do that in the future. Don't miss out on your soulmate cos you're blinded by material things!"

"I had the opportunity to be her (Yvonne) friend for two years straight. And the "Letter to Yvonne Okoro" song is just me being creative. Lots of people write songs for people they like, I thought I will just do same."

"I always say I am African and it doesn't matter where I am from. The important thing is that, I am here and I am doing what I have to do."

"We have come to accept certain things- which are our colour, how we look- and in a way we don't let people dictate who we are and what one should be. It is now not about how you look but the kind of story you are telling. The content we sell to people is changing."

"The issue is men don't have balls to come forward to ask me out because they think I am already hooked or perhaps I am very high maintenance. Also, I may still be single because most people think celebrities are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing partners but that is a very wrong perception."

"A good number of celebs are single because they are confused as to who to accept in their life. You see, you are not sure if the person is coming in because of your fame and money or the person wants to be with you because of real love."

"On the other hand, society does not see anything wrong with a man who has more relationships, they are viewed as champions while we (women) are called names so I am zipping my mouth now."

"I don't necessarily need a man with a mansion full of money, I need a man with focus...a great husband is somebody who is hardworking, a man with focus and a man who is respectful who can make me laugh."

"If you've realized I've kept my relationships secret. When (the relationship doesn't work out) and I cry at home it's me, my sisters and my parents that know I'm crying, that's it."

"I fully support Ghanaians/Africans living outside helping to develop our countries and continent...we all leave our countries for various reasons, but I believe it is important for us to have tangible connections to ensure our participation in our countries’ development even while we are away."

"If the change will come, the change will come from you."

"When you treat a woman right you always get a beautiful home… respect is key. I respect her (Menaye) a lot and she also respects me. People talk a lot but we are focused."

"My wife - she's my manager, she's my, she's my coach, she's my everything, she's my everything."

"As a former titleholder, the Miss Universe experience taught me a great deal and has shaped me to be the woman I am today. I am very passionate about building and maintaining the reputation of the Miss Universe Ghana pageant in my role as National Director."

"I am extremely proud and excited to announce my role as the new National Director for Miss Universe Ghana. I will be working diligently with my team to make sure we make Ghana proud."