Derry: the '˜gateway region' to Europe

Derry City & Strabane Council's CEO John Kelpie addresses this week's investment conference in Boston as Seamus Neely, CEO of Donegal County Council, looks on.

The North West was this week hailed as a prime location for inward investment as key decision-makers in Boston, Massachusetts, met up with business, education and civic leaders from Derry and Donegal.

The ‘Ireland North West Showcase’ involved 15 local companies helping sell the region to an audience of influential business owners and investors.

The CEOs of Derry City & Strabane Council and Donegal County Council told potential investors of the unique advantages of doing business in the North West of Ireland.

The NW region, they said, had made significant progress in creating jobs and reducing unemployment and was a favourable destination for the location of global companies.

The event also premiered a new video, jointly commissioned by both councils, to showcase the region as a place to live, work and do business.

John Kelpie, Chief Executive of Derry and Strabane Council, said the North West was a growing region full of opportunities for Boston businesses.

The NW, he added, was exceptionally well placed as an investment hub for business and global companies seeking to establish a gateway to both EU and UK markets.

“We are an area renowned for its rich tourism, its culture and its heritage offerings with an established reputation as a compelling investment proposition,” he said. “Our region offers significant cost advantages compared to the rest of Ireland, UK and most of Western Europe as well a young, well educated workforce making the case for investment clear and compelling.”

Seamus Neely, Chief Executive of Donegal County Council, said the cross-border delegation was in Boston to both find and share opportunity.

“We are here to share and highlight the value of the proposition that is available by doing business in the North West,” he said. “We have a unique offering as a cost competitive region with great potential and we are focused on delivering on it.”

The travelling delegation includes companies from the digital tech, education, agri-food sectors and creative industries who are aiming to source business in US export markets.