CDE / Per Jacobsson Foundation Speaker Series
The Williams College Center for Development Economics (CDE) and the Per Jacobsson Foundation are delighted to introduce a new initiative, the CDE/Per Jacobsson Foundation Speaker Series. The invited speakers will be CDE Alumni who have worked as economic policy makers in the public sector of their countries. They will return to the Williams campus to give talks and to spend time with current CDE fellows. The goal is to share some of their practical experiences and to inspire others to follow similar paths in public service. The Per Jacobsson Foundation has generously agreed to support this initiative for three years.
The Per Jacobsson Foundation, founded in 1963, is committed to carrying on the mission of international cooperation in the monetary and economic field to which Mr. Jacobsson devoted his life. Mr. Jacobsson, a Swedish economist, had strong ties with the Bank for International Settlements and was the managing director at the International Monetary Fund from 1956 to 1963.
Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college’s approximately 2,000 undergraduate students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research.
One of two master’s degree programs at Williams, the Williams Center for Development Economics opened in 1960 and has trained more than 1,300 practicing economists from more than 110 low and lower middle income countries.
EVENTS
Abdoulaye Magassouba (CDE ’11, Guinea): Getting Results amid Conflicting Expectations
As part of the CDE/Per Jacobsson Foundation Speaker Series, Mr. Abdoulaye Magassouba, former Minister of Mines and Geology of the Republic of Guinea, visited Williams College in January 2025. On January 11, he delivered a public lecture titled “Getting Results Amid Conflicting Expectations”, sharing insights from his experiences navigating governance challenges in the Presidency and…

CDE/Per Jacobsson Speaker Series: Secretary General for MoD Gelardina Prodani (CDE ’09, Albania)
The Secretary General of Albania’s Ministry of Defense since June 2022, Ms. Gelardina Prodani has been overseeing the defense budget and investments in infrastructure and technology. Previously, she was the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (2019-2022), where she managed the response to the 2019 earthquake and COVID-19 pandemic and introduced…

CDE/Per Jacobsson Speaker Series: Ambassador Elsie Kanza (CDE 2000)
Dr. Elsie S. Kanza is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for the Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United States of America and Mexico. Prior to taking on this role, she served as a member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Executive Committee and Special Adviser to its President. From 2011 to 2020,…

CDE/Per Jacobsson Speaker Series: A Conversation with Ahmad Kaikaus (CDE ’00, World Bank)
The Williams Center for Development Economics (CDE) is delighted to introduce a new initiative – the CDE/Per Jacobsson Foundation Speaker Series. On Sept. 16 and 17, Ahmad Kaikaus, Ph.D., Alternate Executive Director at the World Bank, will inaugurate the series as the first speaker for the 2023-24 academic year. Dr. Kaikaus earned a master’s degree…
