Derry Chamber’s theme for this year, ‘Ambitious Regional Collaborations’, is more than a slogan; it’s a call to action. It reflects our collective determination to continue to bring Derry and the North West out of the shadows and unlock the full economic potential that has awaited us since the Good Friday Agreement 27 years ago.

Just last year, the City Deal was signed, and while City Deal partnerships with Ulster University are clearly vital, so too is the role of the private sector. I urge all stakeholders to align messaging and fully engage with the wider business community to maximise the impact of these opportunities.

The expansion of the university, along with North West Regional College, can supply the workforce for developments such as those underway at Foyle Port and its surrounding Port Development Zone, creating symbiotic relationships between public and private sector. Of course, with expansion comes the pressing issue of student accommodation. We call on the private sector, and government, if necessary, to move rapidly to take us from around 830 units to 3,000 as soon as possible.

The planned and proposed initiatives for the North West – regeneration of the city centre and Strabane town centre, the A6, and developments at City of Derry Airport to name a few more – form a powerful and compelling regional offering that we believe to be transformative for us living and working here, but importantly, they align with the ambitions of all four governments that intersect in our region.

Andrew Fleming, President, Derry Chamber.

placeholder image — Andrew Fleming, President, Derry Chamber.

Our Minister for the Economy rightly champions good jobs, regional balance, raised productivity, and reduced carbon emissions, while the UK Government’s Invest 2035 and the Republic of Ireland’s National Development Plan do the same in their own words. Our region can play a strong part in all these strategies through visionary long-term, coherent economic planning and delivery.

Experience from other UK regions and the Republic demonstrates how targeted fiscal interventions can unlock meaningful growth.

Finding the right mix of fiscal responsibility and progressive policies working in tandem with Northern Ireland’s special status created by the Northern Ireland Protocol, could provide the conditions for a thriving Northern Ireland, an integrated island economy, and a stronger North West than we have ever seen.

We are in a different era. We no longer need a begging bowl; given the right conditions we can deliver our own solutions.