“Money is a verb…it does things, it is not just something to have …it must build houses, schools, hospitals…and it must feed the people”.
Luisa Diogo, Minister of Finance, Mozambique.

“Botswana is fighting for its very survival…it’s a battle to the death and I can assure you it’s not going to be the death of Botswana, it’s going to be the death of AIDS inBotswana”.
Joy Phumaphi, Minister of Health, Botswana.

“Many people with noble hearts and vision are involved in politics, like my husband, …the more women who are involved in politics, the better the world would be”.
Dr. Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, First Lady, Cote d’Ivoire.

“A review of the life and history of my country, Egypt, provides evidence of the possibility of coming together between all civilization and cultures and possibilities for joint action”.
Fayza Aboulnaga, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Egypt.

“Where I come from there is an expectation that women should be perfect wives…it is understood that if they wish to pursue careers, that they have to earn this ‘privilege’ …by working double time to reassure their husbands that the ‘privilege’ of pursuing a career and contributing to the well-being of the family if not being abused”.
Aisha Ismail, Minister of Women and Youth, Nigeria.

“I had a premonition that once Nelson Mandela’s term was up in 1999 the euphoria associated with him would vanish and South Africa would revert back to being just another Africa country”.
Sheila Sisulu, South African Ambassador to the USA.

“My practice as a medical doctor prepared me to be a policymaker because as a doctor, you are in touch with the patient from the inside out…I went into politics with the knowledge of people’s hearts, fears, and the conditions under which they were living”.
Dr. Speciosa Wandira Kazibe, Vice President, Uganda.