February 8, 2011: In an editorial, Voice of America writes that 50 years after USAID was created, the agency still remains a vital actor in U.S. global presence. VOA also notes that USAID “has become a quiet force for progress: preventing disease and disasters, stabilizing societies and expanding free markets, and changing with the times to best serve the people of the developing world.”
February 11, 2011: Voice of America reports that private businesses are being encouraged to assume a greater role in development efforts as part of the Obama administration’s agricultural development initiative. In an interview with Voice of America, USAID’s Greg Gottlieb, head of the food security bureau, stated that the agency is looking towards economic growth as a way to increase development. “We want to work more with the private sector than we have in the past.”
