World Bank Group has new country manager for Moldova

The World Bank Group has appointed Ulrich Schmitt as the new country manager for Moldova, starting from July 1, 2025. He will replace Inguna Dobraja, who has been the World Bank Group's country manager since July 2021.

“I am honored to represent the World Bank Group in Moldova, where I will work actively with both the public and private sectors, in order to find solutions for the creation of jobs, improving human capital and enhancing Moldova's competitiveness,” said Ulrich Schmitt.

The official noted that, “despite the string of crises catalyzed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, along with other persistent development challenges, Moldova's EU candidacy status, combined with strong impetus of reforms and investments in resilience, provides a great opportunity for the country to stimulate sustainable long-term growth.”

Through its work in Moldova, the World Bank Group supports regulatory reform and promotes green, resilient and inclusive development and competitiveness, with three key goals: creation of jobs, improving human capital and increasing green investments, particularly in infrastructure and agriculture.

The present Partnership Framework for Moldova shows this unified approach, with activities supporting sustainable development and the country's goal of advancing towards EU accession, as well as efforts to strengthen capacities and digitalization, in order to consolidate systems and institutions in the public and private sectors.

Ulrich Schmitt is a German citizen and most recently has served as the operations manager for Myanmar and Thailand, based in Bangkok, overseeing the operational program, work of the office, and strategic commitment of the World Bank in both countries. He has over 20 years of experience at the World Bank in this role, working as a lead agriculture economist in the World Bank's Europe and Central Asia Department in Washington, DC, as a program leader for sustainable development at the World Bank Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, based in Colombo, and as a senior natural resources economist in investment operations and analytical tasks headquartered in Beijing, China. Schmitt holds a Ph.D. in natural resources management from the Technical University of Munich.

The World Bank Group provides financing, advice, and innovative solutions in more than 100 countries, improving people's lives by creating jobs, fostering economic growth, and addressing the most urgent global development challenges.

The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of financing and knowledge for developing countries. It consists of the World Bank, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).