What comes next? A conversation with Gates Foundation CEO and development leaders
Summary
Development progress has stalled. Trade barriers are rising, aid flows have plummeted, and private finance remains limited, volatile, and dominated by debt. Leaders must create new partnerships, prioritize impact, and rethink how to fund productive public investments that will increase growth, job creation, and life expectancy. With development funding unlikely to recover soon, the challenge is how to drive systemic change that delivers greater impact at scale with far fewer resources.
The King Center on Global Development, in collaboration with the Hoover Institution’s Emerging Markets Working Group, is bringing together renowned development finance leaders with insights from philanthropy, international financial institutions, government, and the private sector for the second of a two-part event series about the future of aid, with the discussion focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa.
This event will feature:
Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation
Ambassador Mark Green (ret), former Administrator of USAID, U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, and Congressman (WI-8)
Gyude Moore, former Liberian Minister of Public Works
Vera Songwe, Chair and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility, former Executive Secretary of UNECA, and former Regional Director for Africa for the World Bank
The program will begin with welcome remarks from Katherine Casey, Faculty Director of the King Center on Global Development, and RoAnn Costin Professor of Political Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Stanford President Jonathan Levin will provide the event introduction. Peter Blair Henry, The Class of 1984 Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, will then lead a fireside chat with Mark Suzman, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Jendayi E. Frazer, The Peter J. and Frances Duignan Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
Schedule:
3:00 PM–3:10 PM: Welcome by Katherine Casey and introduction by Jonathan Levin
3:10 PM–3:40 PM: Fireside chat with Mark Suzman and Peter Henry
3:45 PM–5:00 PM: Panel discussion with Mark Green, Gyude Moore, Vera Songwe, and Mark Suzman, moderated by Jendayi Frazer
5:00 PM–6:00 PM: Reception
This event is hosted in partnership with VoxDev.
The King Center on Global Development, in collaboration with the Hoover Institution’s Emerging Markets Working Group, is bringing together renowned development finance leaders with insights from philanthropy, international financial institutions, government, and the private sector for the second of a two-part event series about the future of aid, with the discussion focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa.
This event will feature:
Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation
Ambassador Mark Green (ret), former Administrator of USAID, U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, and Congressman (WI-8)
Gyude Moore, former Liberian Minister of Public Works
Vera Songwe, Chair and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility, former Executive Secretary of UNECA, and former Regional Director for Africa for the World Bank
The program will begin with welcome remarks from Katherine Casey, Faculty Director of the King Center on Global Development, and RoAnn Costin Professor of Political Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Stanford President Jonathan Levin will provide the event introduction. Peter Blair Henry, The Class of 1984 Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, will then lead a fireside chat with Mark Suzman, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Jendayi E. Frazer, The Peter J. and Frances Duignan Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
Schedule:
3:00 PM–3:10 PM: Welcome by Katherine Casey and introduction by Jonathan Levin
3:10 PM–3:40 PM: Fireside chat with Mark Suzman and Peter Henry
3:45 PM–5:00 PM: Panel discussion with Mark Green, Gyude Moore, Vera Songwe, and Mark Suzman, moderated by Jendayi Frazer
5:00 PM–6:00 PM: Reception
This event is hosted in partnership with VoxDev.
Format
In person
Location
Gunn SIEPR Building, Koret-Taube Conference Center, Stanford University
Date
5 May 2026
13:00 – 15:00 GMT
Speakers
Mark Suzman, CEO, Gates Foundation
Mark Green, Former Administrator, USAID
W. Gyude Moore, Non-Resident Fellow, Center for Global Development; Former Minister of Public Works, Liberia
Vera Songwe, Chair and Founder, Liquidity and Sustainability Facility