Speeches and Testimony

Today, I am announcing a new commitment to action for philanthropic and private sector leaders to join in these kinds of efforts. And I want really, in particular, to thank Darren [Walker] and Raj [Shah] for being anchor partners and helping to guide this effort. I'm thrilled to kick off this commitment to action by announcing here that USAID will invest over $35 million in additional resources to help the partner countries that are gathered here today to drive economic growth, build more effective and transparent governance, and improve basic services for people. We will draw in private sector partners, as we have with m-mama and the Vodafone Foundation.

Hello and welcome to a special edition of our program, which is a special program and in the studio, I'm joined by my guest, the Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming responsible for USAID, Ambassador Isobel Coleman, and my good name is Agnes Tuniga.

When local actors, entrepreneurs, and small agribusiness owners have a voice in policy making, they are more likely to grow and succeed and reinvest earnings that benefit the community. But despite demonstrating the most potential for growth, the voices of women, youth, and rural enterprises, in particular, are too often overlooked.

At USAID, we have been building on decades of U.S. investment and support for nutrition through health and agriculture programming. We are tackling malnutrition with new commitments across the African continent, including through our Feed the Future investments to enhance the production, and the affordability, and the marketing of safe and nutritious foods – so all of it, the entire chain. We know, however, that there is so much more work to be done. 

USAID is increasing its focus on agri-SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa – including through blended finance and de-risking investments. Our work with Aceli Africa is another such model. Much like the Deal Room, Aceli is aligning capital supply with market demand to mobilize $700 million dollars in lending to Agri-SMEs, creating a more sustainable and competitive marketplace. 

Thank you Ambassador [Elsie] Kanza, for being here, for your remarks, for being so clear about what you want. I’m pro-that. My favorite expression is “What are we for?”

I've had a productive and very inspiring visit to Tanzania. I have enjoyed getting to both celebrate, and to try to strengthen, the U.S.-Tanzanian relationship and partnership. A partnership that, as you all know, dates back to the earliest days of both an independent Tanzania, and you may not know, to the origins of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, itself. We both were born right around the same time. 

What Tanzania has achieved with m-mama is not only a success story that we talk about here in Tanzania and that, in fact yesterday, I talked about with President Ruto and his team in Kenya. It is a story and an achievement that we talk about all around the world – in Asia, in Latin America, and across sub-Saharan Africa. I’m honestly in awe of what has been accomplished in such a short period of time.

I had a chance to talk to farmers here who are part of this really extraordinary agricultural surge that Tanzania is in the midst of. Of course, President Samia has tripled agricultural investments just over the last year. USAID today is announcing an additional $5 million in support for Tanzanian food security that will provide support to farmers to obtain access to seed technology, to training, especially to deal with changing weather patterns, climate change, as well as support to avoid food waste, and to enhance storage. 

I’m so grateful for yet another very productive discussion with you and your team about the full spectrum of issues that we tackle together here in Tanzania. Whether that is transitioning to clean energy, developing more resilience to climate change – which we know is wreaking havoc on so many farmers and others in the agricultural sector.