even in leadership positions, many women are still treated as less-worthy peers. They are expected to be grateful for their inclusion, as though they… - Lucy Quist

Despite what you may read, our world is not progressing quickly enough on critical issues of economic equity, environmental protection and the assurance of peace. It's as though, for all our smarts, we cannot accept each other as worthy of the basics of human lives around the globe; the excess of a few sometimes comes at the expense of many.

Young people are demonstrating their creativity, leadership, and desire to lead the change that our continent (Africa) desperately needs. They want an opportunity to come together in a way that allows them to think, share and co-create solutions to the problems such as youth unemployment, building scalable enterprises and driving systemic change in their countries.

I see football and sport in general but particularly today football as an extremely important part of our development as individuals and our development as a nation. Sport is about development, it is about skill, it is about commitment, it is about dedication, it is about the tenacity to win against the odds, it is about the willingness to say that I will go the extra mile, even though at this point in time, I am exhausted, I am tired, my muscles are aching and I have a team counting on me and more importantly in their case I have a nation counting on me.