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Welcome to USAID Macedonia's website!

USAID Mission Director Michael T. Fritz The Republic of Macedonia is an important strategic partner to the United States. Its steady economic progress and relative political stability have made Macedonia a moderating voice in the Balkans region. For over a decade, the U.S. Agency for International Development has worked side-by-side with the Government, the private sector and educational institutions to improve the quality of life in Macedonia and to help its transition to a stable and prosperous democracy. The American people, through USAID, have invested nearly $500 million in Macedonia since 1993. I am proud of our common accomplishments! Our programs have helped the people and government in Macedonia to reduce corruption, strengthen the rule of law, create new jobs and improve the quality of education. But much remains to be done to improve Macedonia’s prospects for NATO membership and the EU accession, and to embrace Macedonia’s ability to be a steadfast political, economic and security partner for the U.S. We are ready for the challenge!

I hope our website will be helpful to you in learning about our programs and accomplishments. Please feel free to share your comments or questions!

Brief biography of Michael T. Fritz In August 2008, Michael Fritz assumed his new post as Mission Director in Macedonia. Mr. Fritz will manage a $112 million project portfolio supporting economic growth, democracy and local governance and education. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pro-grams, address Macedonia’s main challenges to reduce poverty, revive the economy, create jobs, promote the private sector-led growth and local government reform. These efforts will help the country to advance its transition to a stable and prosperous democracy, and to support Macedonia’s entry into the EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Before arriving in Skopje, Mr. Fritz served as the USAID Mission Director in Bulgaria, from July 2005 until June 2008. Prior that he was Acting Mission Director for the USAID Mission to the Central Asian Republics from February 2005 until July 2005. From June 2001 until February 2005, Mr. Fritz was the Deputy Mission Director at the same mission. As Deputy Director, he was responsible for designing and managing a $500 million assistance program in the former Soviet Central Asian Republics. He focused on a wide range of development issues including economic growth with an emphasis on the environment for small and medium enterprises, independent media, democracy and conflict mitigation, education, health and humanitarian assistance, and natural resource management including water, energy and agriculture. Mr. Fritz joined the Agency for International Development in 1988 as an International Development intern based in Washington, D.C. From 1990 to 1999 he served as Executive Officer in Cote d’Ivoire, Burundi, Ukraine, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was responsible for administrative management of several of the most politically sensitive programs in the USAID portfolio, with annual program budgets up to $250 million. From 1999-2000, he served as USAID Washington Desk Officer to the Regional Center for Southern Africa in Botswana. Mr. Fritz worked on key interagency working groups with the Departments of State, Commerce, and Transportation, the National Security Council, and the Office of Management and Budget on a wide range of issues from flood response to trans-boundary watershed man-agement. From 2000-2001 he was the Supervisory Executive Officer for the Global Bureau in Washington, D.C. Mr. Fritz attended Portland State University, Oregon, where he received both a B.A., with honors, in Psychology and Statistics, and an M.B.A. in International Business. Prior to entering the Foreign Service in 1988, Mr. Fritz worked in the private sector in a variety of managerial positions, including defense logistics and hospital management in Saudi Arabia, freight forwarding in Egypt, and international ocean shipping in the United States. Mr. Fritz with his wife, Susan, and six year old twins, Kai and Cody, are residents of Washington State.