Women In Law

"Although gender was not a consideration in the appointment, a section of the public would definitely see her as being at the vanguard of our faith for more women participation in government. By her appointment, we now have a triumvirate of women in key positions like the Chief Judge, Head of Civil Service and one Deputy Governor."

"Reni Folawiyo is a pioneer whose determination and vision have created a contemporary visual language for African luxury. Architecturally, the concept of the Alára store is a celebration of design talent—an architectural promenade through the different parts of the program. Socially, Reni Folawiyo has carved a way to promote emerging talent while establishing a creative hub and an essential new destination for Lagos."

"ALÁRA was created to be a window to the world, an authentic curation of contemporary Africa...[it is also] a symbol of my personal journey of self affirmation and belief...a fulfillment of a burning desire to celebrate and elevate a lot of what I had come across on my journeys in Africa."

"I think we needed a symbol of what is now called the African renaissance, a showpiece that is unapologetic in its approach about who we are today,...that we have people who make and consume luxury and that we have done it all by ourselves."

"There’s a great appetite for consumption of luxury goods by Nigerians, but in terms of experiential retail with a concept...that is completely new...We have definitely had to educate the customer with regard to African Luxury, getting them to pay more for African goods that they have hitherto seen as craft and substandard."

"We are selling our culture. We’ve clearly become an epicenter for cultural exchange for all kinds of creative people. In my native Yoruba language, alára means “wondrous performer, one who thrills endlessly”—that’s how we see African fashion and design, and how we want global audiences to experience it and embrace it."

"I felt that we needed something iconic that would change our city, change the way we see ourselves and also change the way the world sees us."

"I taught myself to make furniture and then started a furniture factory that still exists. But I realized I wanted to be around creative people. I started to travel within Africa, and discovered people making fashion and design pieces that were contemporary iterations of what you see traditionally—not what we would call contemporary in the Western sense, but in our context. And I thought that was very intriguing."

"It was important for us to have an aesthetic that we believed was our aesthetic...we chose designers who reflected the ideas of bold, unapologetic beauty, [had a] conscience and celebrated craftsmanship. We realised quite fast that people wanted to pay for brands they knew and coveted and if we were to succeed we had to first of all listen to our market, get them super comfortable with us and then start to explore other brands."

"I understand the connection: female founders, a strong and unique point of view, curated and presented with a focus on art and its interaction with fashion. But our mission is different: upliftment."

"It’s about beautifully made, bright, colorful, expressive things that have a story behind them. It’s about art, clothing, and design that’s unique and beautiful. It’s African but contemporary"

"I decided it would be interesting to have the best stuff from all over the world along with the very best from Africa all in the same space to get people from outside Africa to see what was possible, but also to get people in Africa to understand the value of what they had. It was a bit of an education on both sides."

"I used to spend a lot of time with artists and designers and I had a lot of friends that were doing creative things and I enjoyed spending time with them."

"We are women. We are meant to rule the world. We are super."

"Going beyond luxury retail, we’ve become a platform for exchange across all the creative disciplines. Our curation is trusted, and our network authentic."

"I devote a lot of time reading about and consuming the different art forms that we live with. I have tried to paint, I have made furniture, I have designed clothes, and I have always created experiences."

"I have a huge vision, huge passion and huge ambition."

"I got the impression that although people were making these things, they didn’t feel as though what they were making was good enough to be on a certain level. A lot of what people were doing hadn’t been properly celebrated and there were these very beautiful, very well-crafted African items that people didn’t know about."

"The exceptional beauty and versatility of Timber and the variety and abundance that we have here. Again the skills of the makers. For me honing those skills to produce simple streamlined and sophisticated designs is rewarding."

"Brands I believe embody the spirit of today’s Africa in terms of aesthetic and culture, luxury and fashion brands that people know, love and aspire to own and exceptional African brands."

"The luxury of having a purpose, identifying it and being able to realise it. It's rare, it's valuable and it's is covetable. That's Luxury"

"I am surrounded by beautiful products with great history culturally and was always inspired by our own version of Luxury. I felt we needed a platform that challenged us into making traditional luxury objects covetable by ourselves and the rest of the world. Also I looked around and saw that we have great taste and love of Luxury but not many people were investing in retail in a formal way. I am also aware that Luxury Retail is becoming very experiential and that creating our own unique version of luxury retail will be interesting educative and inspiring."

"My love and appreciation for beautiful things and my value for artisanal products and respect for artisanship."

"Alara was conceived to show the world who we are today, to share how we live and to show Africans that we have a lot to be proud of, that we create and enjoy objects of exceptional quality and beauty, to celebrate those who have done it, and to support and encourage those who wish to exchange, educate, elevate and beautify."

"When I’m trying to define African luxury, and this is not an exclusive definition, it has to benefit the person who’s buying it in terms of its value, but it also must benefit the person who was making it and the people in that chain of making it."

"We will open people’s eyes to the incredible creative renaissance that is growing in Africa and how seamlessly it functions as a part of the global conversation of style."

"Reni is showcasing the best and brightest in a way that allows them to shine – and the exhibition is doing the same."

"I leave with mixed feelings on one hand with a sense of pride and satisfaction from the work we have been able to do together but again with an overwhelming sense of loss because through this council we have developed and cultivated deep personal connections with many of you."

"You told us to go and stand with Mama Ida — and I thank you for remembering her, as a woman, in that moment of unbearable pain. We shall never forget that."

"I talked to Raila on Monday evening when he was with Adhiambo. I want to confirm that he said ODM needs to be united as a party."

"When I asked him, ‘Baba, how are you?’ he told me jokingly, ‘Amilo, I’m fine, in the morning I walked around. I’m surprised there are people who have already killed and buried me in Kenya."

"or those who killed and buried Raila before his time, because we are Christians, we will forgive you but we will never forget. For those who stood with Raila, we shall never forget. I thank President William Ruto."

"Recently in Parliament I was told that as the mother of the house, I need to be a good example to young female leaders because they need to emulate me. Which translates to I have to sit at the corner and raise my voice a little bit and hope that I'm heard."

"I am proud of our youth, for the first time I thought of retiring because I have seen many Millie Odhiambos in the Gen Z, and that made me happy. I want to encourage them to learn to merge idealism and reality and they should not give up."

"Your Excellency, President Ruto, I want to thank you. That morning at State House when you broke the news, I was the only ODM woman there among the political class. Before you even said it, I somehow knew. The longest journey I have ever walked was from your office to where I had parked my car. I almost collapsed twice."

"We need to use our words for love, peace, and dialogue, creating a world of respect and dignity."

"You need a different skill set that looks at taking advantage of opportunities that are much more of an entrepreneurial skill that you can add as you address many of the market opportunities."

"This amendment seeks to move that fine from Sh200 to Sh 200,000 and a fine of Sh500 to Sh500,000….Which Hustler are you going to fine for removing a notice off a car for half a million Kenya Shillings are you living in Utopia are you living on Mars”?"

"Don’t let anyone question your right to pursue justice for people and planet."

"My job description is simple: to build a world where every girl & boy has the tools & support to make their dreams a reality."

"We must design a future that is shaped by women and girls that realizes their rights and aspirations to a world where equality is a reality."

"Strive for peace among people and nations in the face of adversity."

"If they are good girls they will never get the corner office. Be a bad girl like Millie Odhiambo and you will be the mother of this house. I am a bad girl and as a bad girl I am serving my fourth term."

"The Chief Justice is a woman and so is the deputy. The Attorney General of Kenya is a woman, and the President of the Law Society of Kenya is a woman too. This is historic and although I am happy with the progress we have made, in 2024 we should not be talking about the first women."

"I laud the commitment of all Zimbabweans to ensuring that Election Day proceeded largely peacefully and urge all political parties and their supporters to honour this pledge in the coming days and to use available legal means for conflict resolution."

"Just this week my nephew told me his former classmate took his own life because he had not managed to secure employment for three years. We have a lot of our people who have gone into crime, addiction and depression and that why the government must put its act together and find a way."

"Good girls don't get the corner office!"

"We need very intensive civic education with the society, because we are socialized to accept discrimination against women even when you notice it. We have a good legislative framework for women, when I first got into Parliament, we were about 16 women in Parliament…now we are over 100."

"Undoubtedly, the education and welfare of children, who are the bedrock of the society, is key to the overall development of any nation. Nigeria not exempted. It, therefore, behooves on everyone in the private and public sector to join hands in ensuring that their children are provided the necessary education to arm them for their future development."

"It is time for women to add their voices to climate finance, not just that but for them to wake up and begin to benefit from climate finance."