"Ms. Heintz has contributed to moving Africa forward by promoting sustainable energy solutions—particularly for women who tend to be disproportionately affected by a lack of access to energy. We're proud to support her achievements & through this Award, we continue to play a role in advancing the goal of gender equality & closing the equity gap between men & women."

— Hartwig Schafer, Vice President, South Asia Region, World Bank

"There will always be a need to continually push forward & ensure that there’re equal opportunities & equal benefits for women & girls. To accelerate & scale up gender responsiveness policies, Egypt engages through its country-led multistakeholder framework. This framework incorporates gender as a cross-cutting theme in policies related to climate change, food security, sci & tech."

— Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Arab Republic of Egypt

"A million people in Africa, especially in Western & Central Africa, still lack access to electricity. Our goal for now is to move from an overall access rate of 50% to 64% by 2024. This will require that we work with individuals, with firms, with governments, to make sure that this goal can be achieved."

— Ousmane Diagana, Vice President, Western and Central Africa, World Bank

"Countries & companies, when they invest in energy infrastructure & services, they need to consider the needs of girls & women. Tailoring energy investments to the needs of girls & women is a good public policy & it is also a good business."

— Hana Brixi, Global Director, Gender Group, World Bank