USAID signs public-private alliance with Macedonia 2025

WASHINGTON, DC – The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a new partnership with Macedonia 2025 to strengthen the competitiveness of key industries in Macedonia to support sustainable tourism, develop the workforce, foster entrepreneurship, and strengthen the business and investment climate.

Macedonia 2025 is an independent, non-political, and non-profit US organization established in 2006 to position Macedonia as a preferred destination for foreign direct investment; promote transparent government and corporate practices; create a flourishing climate for entrepreneurship; instill a new attitude towards competitiveness; and make Macedonia the gateway to regional and international markets. The organization seeks to mobilize the resources of the Macedonian Diaspora from the US and Canada and is spearheaded by a core group of committed and successful Macedonians.

USAID administrator, Henrietta H. Fore, has challenged USAID to triple the value of resources leveraged in partnership over the next two years through the Global Development Alliance, a recent USAID initiative and business model to expand public-private alliances and work more closely with the private and non-profit sectors. “Partnerships such as the one we are announcing today with Macedonia 2025 are a great step forward to achieving this goal, and through engaging powerful new actors such as the Macedonian business and Diaspora community, we are excited about delivering new projects and services to the citizens of Macedonia,” said Thomas Mefford, USAID’s deputy assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia.

“We are very appreciative of the commitment and successful track record of USAID’s accomplishments in Macedonia. Today, we are pleased to formalize this partnership. Together we embark on a journey that will lead to innovative activities aimed at creating and expanding new markets for increased investment and business development,” said Mike Zafirovski, board member of Macedonia 2025. “This alliance is an excellent example of how the public and private sector can come together to generate positive change,” added Deyan Kostovski, executive director for Macedonia 2025.

For more information about USAID visit www.usaid.gov/.

The American people, through the US Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.