The Aid Market Podcast Mike Shanley

Randy Tift, Former USAID Chief A&A Policy Officer, joins Mike Shanley as co-host, along with guest Michael Metzler, Executive Director of USAID’s Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Hub. As the first formalized private sector engagement office, USAID is the longest running donor in the space. USAID’s influence continues to evolve, especially as more U.S. foreign assistance professionals are shifting their focus towards the local development of communities and engaging in the private sector space. With this shift comes the need for new policies and strategies necessary to streamline future projects and to support complex relationships between USAID and private sectors. This impactful discussion focuses on USAID's Private Sector Engagement’s (PSE) priorities and progress, learning from PSE USAID projects, PSE and localization, and USAID and impact investing. 
IN THIS EPISODE:
[3:53] Michael Metzler gives a rundown of the history of USAID's Private Sector Engagement.
[7:00] What inspired USAID to shift their focus to the commercial interests of their private sector partners and how has this shift benefited USAID and their private partners? 
[12:44] Michael touches on why USAID is such a great resource for private sectors and local partners trying to establish themselves to tap into. 
[15:00] Randy introduces PSE Modernize, the overarching term for several initiatives that USAID has launched to track the agency's private sector partnerships, and to bring data to bear for USAID planners, both in the missions and in DC. This has brought more order to managing PSE partners, resulting in a real system for customer relationship management and knowledge management. Michael shares his thoughts on the launch.
[23:00] Michael discusses Compass, the Salesforce-based enterprise customer relationship management system that USAID is preparing to launch. He also touches on the staff that will be running and implementing Compass. 
[28:25] Randy asks Michael how USAID will engage with companies that work through supply chains, that cross borders, or work across sectors and industries? How will USAID incentivize the support for those complex relationships with their workforce?
[34:00] Discussion of the A&A Strategy and the Private Sector Engagement Policy, both launched in December of 2018. What has been accomplished and learned throughout the years since these launches?
[42:00] Michael touches on the Unlock Aid Organization. 
[45:43] How has USAID developed and updated their systems to better assist local partners and private sectors? 
[52:38] Randy inquires about the continuing role of nongovernmental organizations and nonprofits in private sector engagement and relationships with the Development Finance Corporation.
[58:30] Michael touches on the Edge Fund and why it was created.
KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Many U.S. foreign assistance professionals disagreed on the importance of  engaging with multinational corporations, and even local firms, whose primary motive is mere profit. But there's really been a major shift in terms of the development community and engaging the private sector. 
USAID founded the first formalized private sector engagement office in 2000 with the intention to formalize an approach and its thinking around engaging with the private sector.
The Private Sector Engagement Policy and the A&A Strategy, both firsts of their kind, were both released in December of 2018. Michael reflects on that time period and what the resulting awards have accomplished.
When the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) was created, there was a significant hole in the agency in terms of its ability to transact. Thus, the Mission Transaction Unit was created to allow for the transaction that USAID brings into the DFC.
QUOTES:
“Focusing on the actual commercial interests of our private sector partners is not only a good thing to do, it's an absolutely necessary thing to do. In fact, we went fur

Today’s episode features Chief Operating Officer, Christy Hollywood and Manager, Olivia Tisa from the Konektid International team. This discussion focuses on various trends in the USAID funding market, including business development, small business expansion, budget updates, and proposal trends. Christy highlights the importance of transparency in contract mechanisms and discusses budget cuts and increases in different funding areas. Olivia mentions opportunity and changes in proposal presentation, emphasizing the significance of go/no-go decisions and small business opportunities. The team also touches on the impact they are seeing from AI tools and the upcoming small business conference. Join today’s conversation for an inside look into Konektid International’s work and trajectory for 2024. 
IN THIS EPISODE:
[1:00] Christy Hollywood discusses Konektid’s market trends, budget, and business developments in the USAID’s funding market.
[4:27] Olivia Tisa shares USAID proposal trends for this spring and how they are similar and different from last spring.
[5:45] QASP, known as the Quality Assurance Plan, and Performance Work Statements have become mainstream at USAID. 
[6:50] Olivia discusses the intentionality of go/no-go decisions among small business proposals as well as how AI is impacting client portfolios.
[8:25] Mike touches on USAID’s upcoming small business conference in mid-May and shares how to register.
[9:00] 2024 is an election year. Christy shares how this could potentially affect the USAID market and partners.
[13:00] Christy and Mike discuss what organizations should focus on and questions they should ask when preparing for the 2024 election. 
[16:20] Olivia shares her takeaways from Administrator Samantha Powers’s key note speech. 
[21:30] Despite oncoming changes due to the election, some things will stay the same. Olivia notes what matters most is the important work that needs to be done. 
[22:00] Christy shares what she believes will stay the same, regardless of the election results.
[22:30] Mike notes that past performance and expertise is never compromised, even when new initiatives are implemented. 
24:30] Christy advises organizations to start early and utilize your local partner network. Olivia’s advice is to diversify your organization and adapt in order to meet the moment and changing trends. 
KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Olivia notes the delays in RFP releases, which can impact the organizational capacity of USAID partners and konektid clients as they are preparing for opportunities and changes they will face this spring. 
Now is the time to start scenario planning for the 2024 election, to prepare for any changes that may come based on the outcome of the 2024 election. Christy suggests that organizations think about how a change in leadership could affect their operations, regardless of the election outcome. She anticipates continued streamlining of procurement processes and an increase in localization of partner bases, with the intensity of these trends varying based on the election results.
Christy advises organizations to assess their current portfolios and align them with different potential priorities based on the election results. By focusing on impact, return on investment, and the why behind their work, organizations can better position themselves for potential changes in government priorities.
With the upcoming election, many things will stay the same and some changes can be expected. Regardless of the results of the election, there will still be work that needs to be done and that work matters. 
Quotes: 
“This is a great time to start scenario planning, eight to nine months out from January, and to really think about what a change might mean for your organization as you are planning. Regardless of who wins the election this time, we are going to see some continued streamlining of procurement and increased localizatio

This Aid Market Podcast episode features an interview with Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee, focusing on her peacebuilding work in Liberia and offering advice to peacebuilding organizations and donors. The conversation touches on the success factors of her peace movement, the role of international organizations in conflict prevention, and the challenges faced by grassroots women's organizations.
Thank you to Ebenezer Norman and A New Dimension of Hope (https://ndhope.org/) for co-hosting this episode.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[01:18] Leymah discusses the success factors of her peace movement, highlighting the unity of the group and their shared ambition to end the war as key drivers.
[04:41] The discussion shifts to the role of large donors like USAID and the UN, where Leymah criticizes the way funding is often channeled through middle or large humanitarian organizations instead of directly supporting grassroots organizations.
[07:12] The episode concludes with information on how to support Leymah Gbowee's organization, the Gbowee Peace Foundation.
KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
The success of Leymah Gbowee's peace movement in Liberia was driven by the unity of the group, which transcended divisions and brought together people from various backgrounds, including different religious and political affiliations.
Large international donors should direct more funding and support to grassroots organizations, especially those led by women, which often face challenges in accessing resources due to their lack of formal registration.
Those interested in supporting Leymah Gbowee's organization can visit the Gbowee Peace Foundation's website or social media profiles to donate or learn more about their work.
Quotes: 
"Our ability to transcend the issues that divided us, we recognize that we have more to gain by being together, and we have a lot more to lose by being apart." - Leymah Gbowee
RESOURCES:
Aid Market Podcast 
Mike Shanley - LinkedIn
Gbowee Peace Foundation
A New Dimension of Hope Website
Co-Host: https://www.ndhope.org/
Leymah Roberta Gbowee (Leymah Roberta Gbowee was born on February 1, 1972, in Monrovia, Liberia.  She was seventeen years old when the Liberian civil war started and turned her, in her own words, “from a child into an adult in a matter of hours.” Inspired by a dream and as a person of faith, she organized her fellow Christian women to mobilize for peace. She then collaborated with a Muslim partner to build an unprecedented coalition with Muslim women, giving rise to the interfaith movement known as the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace (which operated under the auspices of WIPNET). 
(Source: https://gboweepeaceafrica.org/our-story)
 

Today on The Aid Market Podcast, Mike Shanley is joined by Catalina Escobar, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of MAKAIA and Awele Okigbo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Credo Advisory. Today’s discussion focuses on the concept of localization in development work, particularly in the context of USAID partnerships. Catalina Escobar and Awele Okigbo, share their perspectives on what localization means to them, the role of local partners, and the importance of empowering local actors in driving change and development interventions. Tune in today to hear from local partners with their perspective on USAID’s localization initiative, locally-led development, and how to best work with local partners.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[01:12] Awele and Catalina share their thoughts and perspective on localization and the importance of when and how local partners are involved in the project’s development and implementation. 
[05:30] Catalina shares what being a local partner means. 
[07:45] Awele believes that a local partner has a vested interest in the project because it is their community.
[12:45] Catalina explains why it is critical to know the local systems and local policies, which can take years. 
[16:45] Awele discusses areas of USAID’s success and areas for growth in their localization efforts. How can other donors successfully incorporate this growth into their programs?
[18:37] Catalina touches on strategy vs implementation. On paper, implementation can look straightforward, however the act of implementation can be more challenging. 
[27:28] Catalina breaks down the 5 principles of the Paris Declaration, which she believes are crucial for local development. She then explains how localization is measured and reported and what she will  be looking at in 2024 to monitor and see how the conversation around localization is evolving.
[30:37] Awele shares what she will be looking at to see how the localization conversation and priorities are evolving throughout 2024. 
KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Localization is leveraging local actors and experts to become leaders. Localization involves recognizing and incorporating local knowledge, expertise, systems, and politics in project design and implementation. Nobody knows the community more than the members of the community and it is paramount that USAID includes local partners in the early stages of planning and implementation. 
Localization is meant to foster the empowerment of communities while building capacity and leveraging their social systems and structure to equip them with the resources and ability to become leaders. This is why it is crucial to increase the percentage of funds going to local organizations and ensure diversity in the organizations receiving international funding to avoid concentration of resources in a few entities.
There is a need to measure the impact of development efforts not just in terms of successful project delivery but also in terms of how the local economy and talent pool have improved over time, highlighting the importance of local expertise and knowledge building.
RESOURCES:
Aid Market Podcast
Aid Market Podcast YouTube
Mike Shanley - LinkedIn
Catalina Escobar - LinkedIn
Awele Okigbo - LinkedIn
BIOGRAPHIES: 
Catalina Escobar, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, MAKAIA is a Civil society leader and social entrepreneur with more than 23 years of experience in social sector, digital development and international cooperation. During six years, Catalina worked with the World Bank managing web related projects that promote collaboration and knowledge sharing. She has led MAKAIA since its inception in 2006 and during 11 years, transforming an idea into an organization that has served thousands of people, non-profits and social projects in Latin America. Since June 2017, Catalina has held a different role in MAKAIA, as Chief Strategy Officer with the objective of designing the long term strategy of the org

Mohamed Abdel-Kader, Chief Innovation Officer at USAID and Alexis Bonnell, Former Chief Innovation Officer at USAID, discussed the impact of AI and other machine learning tools. They explored the balance between the risks and rewards associated with these tools, reaching a consensus that AI can revolutionize USAID's impact when appropriately developed and utilized. The discussion emphasized the importance of developing AI to benefit all countries where USAID is active, not just English-speaking nations.
Recognizing the rapid advancement of machine learning, the speakers stressed the need for precision and thoughtfulness in posing questions to AI, given its evolving nature. They also addressed issues of localization, pointing out the challenges when native languages are overlooked or when communities lack access to computers.
Mike highlighted upcoming events for those interested in collaborating with USAID. On February 15th, SID-US will host its annual career fair, followed by the annual conference on April 26th in Washington, DC. He expressed his belief that this conference is a must-attend event of the year.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[01:53] Mike Shanley introduces today's guests and shares their backgrounds.
[02:53] Mohamed describes his role at USAID as Chief Innovation Officer and talks about how technology is advancing with the advent of machine learning tools.
[6:30] Mohamed touches on some of the early-use cases that he's seen of AI applications or other technologies.
[12:47] Mohamed reflects on the potential risks AI presents and whether the good outweighs the bad.
 [17:04] Alexis comments that we are navigating at a different rate of change in technology; therefore, we need to be intentional about how we use AI, and she provides an example of an experiment she led. 
[26:08] Mohamed discusses the ethical development of AI, strengthening policies and systems that govern AI and accessing computing power in parts of the world where it's cost-prohibitive. 
[31:38] Alexis discusses how the cultures and identities of different countries impact how you work with them. She describes a sector who asked themselves if they have been as innovative as they think they have been and how AI revealed a surprising result to their question.
[38:42] Mohamad discusses the significance of localization in AI, emphasizing the interconnected nature of our world and the necessity of incorporating it into our AI tools. He notes that numerous countries are enthusiastic about AI, viewing it as a tool to propel their advancement.
[46:00] Alexis says that there's a gold mine for all of the entities to bring unique applications to USAID, suggesting you can recycle or reuse proposals. 
[52:34] The panelists leave advice to the listeners. 
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Led by Mohamed Abdel-Kader, USAID’s Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub, formerly known as the Global Development Lab, team is behind cutting edge tech development and approaches within the digital space. USAID strives to reach more people through innovative and cost effective approaches from cybersecurity, to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, digital finance, digital inclusion, and digital literacy.
AI is an extremely powerful tool that is evolving and changing daily. With this, comes the risk that a lot of people will be left behind. But there's also tremendous opportunity in the AI space. USAID actively works to intentionally shape this technology to be useful for everyone, while exploring the practicalities of how they might achieve this goal. 
USAID plays a unique role in fostering the ethical development of AI and other tools through various approaches. Mohamed and his team focus on utilizing the powerful tool of AI responsibly in environments where there are a lot of vulnerable people. USAID takes an ecosystem approach to discern how AI as a tool sits in the broader digital ecosystem within USAID’s partner countries and how

Today, panelists, Ashley Frost and James Maloney, Deputy Directors, Office of HIV/AIDS USAID, discussed USAID’s localization initiative, locally-led development, and the importance of diversified local partners. They discuss USAID’s Global Health work, how USAID supported PEPFAR and the successes it has enjoyed, including statistics of lives saved and changed.
 
James Maloney and Ashley Frost share the new PEPFAR five-year strategy, the USAID Approach to HIV and Optimized Programming (AHOP). AHOP is a framework for USAID to employ assets through efficient, measured, and simplified programmatic approaches to ensure resilient and country-led approaches to the HIV response. The AHOP defines five critical pathways through which USAID will assist countries in sustaining epidemic control and accelerating progress in those that have not yet achieved the 95-95-95 goals. Each pathway outlines planned results and time-bound milestones. If this resonates with you, share successes with Congress to fund the five-year reauthorization of PEPFAR.
 
IN THIS EPISODE:
[00:32] Mike Shanley outlines key talking points regarding the accomplishments that PEPFAR has achieved over the last 20 years, delivering unprecedented impact in the global fight against HIV AIDS. 
[02:57] Ashley Frost and James Maloney describe their roles at USAID as Deputy Directors. 
[04:40] Discussion where funding originates, the investments they make at the primary healthcare level, and successes they have accomplished through PEPFAR, stating that USAID is the largest donor and they are advancing work in the HIV vaccine space. 
[11:00] James shares statistics of the impact made in the world attributed to PEPFAR and reflects on the history of growth and prevention. 
[14:50] Discussion of localization, local entities and partners and relationships within country-led staff and senior diplomats in their countries.        
[20:06] Looking forward to goals and objectives, James discusses the AHOP framework in response to HIV. 
[25:24] Ashley comments on the importance of keeping an open dialogue between all partners within the HIV AIDS space, and James outlines the importance of seeing the 5-year reauthorization of PEPFAR. 
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Oftentimes, hospitals and building new infrastructure is what gets a “ribbon cutting”, but in terms of buying the best health outcome with USAID’s investments from U.S. taxpayers, the first area of importance is investments made at a primary care level, which will most impact healthcare outcomes, saving lives and supporting healthy lives. The second thing that drives a lot of USAID’s investments across individual disease or health areas is health security.
Much of PEPFAR’s success lies in engaging with local partners. With regard to localization, the Office of HIV AIDS and the Global Health Bureau have been the front runners in the agency and have been able to guide our agency in these spaces. Right now, about 58 percent of our resources are implemented through local entities, and those sets of partners have been diversified. Small business engagement in the U.S. is essential and has much to offer to the work we can accomplish together. More significant international partners have specific skill sets that are necessary for USAID. As we think about localization, everyone needs to think outside the box and remember that one size does not fit all. 
By the end of 2025, the vision is to help countries reach what the USAID calls the global commitment of 95-95-95 goals. That means that 95 percent of those who have HIV know their status. 95 percent of those individuals are on treatment, and 95 percent of those individuals would be virally suppressed. The AHOP defines five critical pathways through which USAID will assist countries in attaining these goals. 
RESOURCES:
Aid Market Podcast
Aid Market Podcast YouTube
Mike Shanley - LinkedIn
James Maloney - LinkedIn
USAID Appro