Oral history interview with Andrew M. Herscowitz, 2022
Abstract
Andrew Herscowitz discusses his contribution to the international development policy of the United States in the years of the Obama presidency, during which time he served as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)'s deputy mission director for Peru from 2009 to 2011, mission director for Ecuador from 2011 to 2013, and U.S. coordinator for the Power Africa initiative from 2013 to 2020 . Herscowitz focuses on the interagency relationships and coordination that underpin the success of Power Africa, and describes the founding and development of the initiative, the significance and influence of its approach to development, the importance of its targets for power generation and first-time electricity access, and the management of diplomatic relations with relevant ministers in participant countries. Herscowitz also provides details about notable Power Africa projects, the role of Power Africa's transaction advisors, and the relation of Power Africa to Chinese infrastructure investment in Africa. Also discussed are the bipartisan basis of support for Power Africa; the Electrify Africa Act of 2013; the 2016 executive order to advance the initiative; Power Africa's provision of generators to West Africa during the 2014 Ebola epidemic; the initiative's participation in the Young African Leaders Initiative; the diplomatic consequences of WikiLeaks releases of diplomatic cables; and USAID's politicization in Latin America, including the events surrounding the expulsion of USAID from Ecuador in 2014
Presidents--United States; Electric power production--Africa; Electrification--Africa; Leaks (Disclosure of information); Herscowitz, Andrew; Obama, Barack; Power Africa (Organization); Young African Leaders Initiative; WikiLeaks (Organization); United States. Agency for International Development; United States; Electrify Africa Act of 2015
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2022
Physical Description
63 pages
Note (Biographical)
Andrew Herscowitz is an American lawyer and public administrator with over two decades of experience in international development. During the years of the Obama presidency, Herscowitz served as the coordinator of the Power Africa initiative, a U.S. go vernment-led public-private partnership effort to increase access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to the launch of Power Africa, Herscowitz held several positions in the U.S. Agency for International Development, including regional legal advisor for the Caribbean, regional legal advisor for the Andean region, deputy mission director for Peru, and mission director for Ecuador. At the time of the interview, Herscowitz was the chief development officer of the U.S. Development Finance Corporation
Note
Interviewed by Coleman Sherry on June 9, 2022. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Andrew M. Herscowitz, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023