IDA board hold meeting in Tralee amid renewed focus on Kerry FDI

THE board of the IDA held a meeting at Institute of Technology Tralee last week and reiterated the agencies commitment to the county.

A, so called, stakeholders meeting was also organised with 80 guests from the political and business spheres invited to meet the IDA board members and CEO Martin Shanahan who also visited a number of Kerry’s IDA supported companies.

The Tralee visit formed part of the IDA’s new regional investment strategy. At the meeting Mr Shanahan, who is from Abbeydorney, pointed to a number of factors that will help boost the county’s attractiveness to foreign investors.

“The county’s reinstatement within the New Regional Aid Guidelines (RAG) will allow it to compete strongly for investment with other regions. On top of this, the planned new IDA Advanced Technology Building will support the attraction of new FDI and will further enhance the county’s value proposition. These two factors, combined with the IDA’s new FDI strategy with its strong focus on securing an increased share of investments in regions, will ensure that Kerry is given the best chance possible to secure investments in a fiercely competitive international FDI market,” he said.

“Regional development is a major component of IDA Ireland’s new strategy. For the first time, ambitious investment targets have been set for each region, with a strong focus on securing an increased share of investments. Central to that is a strong ambition for employment growth throughout all regions,” said Mr Shanahan.