US Agency for International Development - Obama Presidency Oral History

...even worse. During that process, USAID was part of the senior decision makin...

...Can you take us to your next role? USAID . An agency I had worked with a lot...

...in the beginning was to strengthen USAID , which had been, I think, disempowere...

...that do that, also. The career staff of USAID is extraordinary. Before we start wit...

...And trust me, the administrator of USAID is not political, in the sense of th...

...us about the vision that was shaped for USAID under your leadership, betwee...

...Well, my job was to get USAID ready, both to run over an interi...

...in fact, that their transition team for USAID asked me if I would speak to th...

...terrorists coming over the wall by the USAID building.” Well, the Marine guards di...

...exercise! There's terrorists in the USAID building. They've taken over the firs...

...in Rwanda at that time was only USAID for two projects. I want to ask ...

...Future initiative in 2010, which led to USAID programs in Africa. Did you interac...

...in Africa. Did you interact with USAID officials when you were at Globa...

...course, you have to interact with the USAID , with the people based in Rwanda, an...

...and also some people coming from the USAID headquarters. They used to come an...

...time we see them, the officials from USAID , we used to take them to the fields t...

...one of the things working with the USAID is they're all about branding. Eve...

...know that the funding is coming from USAID . One of the things working with USAI...

...USAID. One of the things working with USAID is you should focus on the branding...

...coming from. So that's something that USAID would always build into its projects...

...for the iron beans program? I know USAID supported it, but were there a lot o...

...funders or was this also a primarily USAID program? Yes. There were othe...

...I remember, there were around five. But USAID was among the major ones. USAID and th...

...But USAID was among the major ones. USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates were th...

...visits at CIAT from US officials. or USAID officials, to come observe th...

...could tell? Even the ambassador of USAID visited us. The ambassador of USAI...

...of USAID visited us. The ambassador of USAID was, basically, in Rwanda, of course...

...of the success stories we shared, the USAID ambassador in Rwanda visited ou...

...the field. Also, I got people from the USAID headquarters. They visited our projec...

...activities on the ground. For the USAID one, it's obvious. In every quarter yo...

...quarter you should expect a visit from USAID . That is obvious. On the field, not i...

...in the western part of Rwanda. The USAID people ask the farmers, “Can we se...

...if I may say. Because in 2018, the USAID project ended. Then later, in 2019, th...

...initiative, and then specifically USAID 's support, to the success of the iro...

...the scaling up was that took place with USAID 's support. With the USAID suppor...

...place with USAID's support. With the USAID support through Feed the Futur...

...said the project ended in 2018, the USAID project. The Bill & Melinda Gate...

...It was among the—you know, with the USAID there is something which is allowable...

...is the time not to plant. We used that USAID support to share, to disseminate th...

...areas, we have a few projects funded by USAID , which are ongoing, learning, and ...