Bid to attract Donegal/Derry key players 11.10.07

A MAJOR initiative will be launched in Dublin today to create a network of individuals, businesses and agencies with strong links to Donegal and Derry.

The Diaspora Project is part of a cross-border programme involving Donegal County Council and Derry City Council and their economic development agencies. The aim is to encourage key players originally from Donegal and Derry, to play a leading role in the future economic development of the North West through trade and enterprise. “We invited key players to come along, to hear more about the project and to sign up to our network. They can then use this network as a mechanism to help shape the future of the North West economy," said
project leader, Ms Aeidín McCarter, of Donegal County Council. She said she hoped the project would also "reach out to the UK and the US, as part of efforts to draw in those who may wish to return home to work, set up a business in Derry or Donegal, or who can influence investment and policy decisions affecting the region". The programme, part of the Ireland North West - Making Business Happen initiative, will be launched in the Shelbourne Hotel. Bank of Ireland chief economist, Dan McLaughlin, is a native of Malin, Co Donegal. He believes the border has always been a major factor in the economic fortunes of the region. “In many ways, economic activity in Donegal appears to be more closely connected to economic activity in Northern Ireland than the rest of the Republic," he said. "A return to more normal economic activity in the North will benefit Donegal to a greater extent. Similarly, the Derry region has benefited from the economic growth across the border, and may now be in a position to use this advantage more fully.” Mr. McLaughlin said the difficulties of dealing in two currencies had been reduced in recent years. “Effectively, sterling has joined the euro in the sense that movement between the euro and sterling is now very limited compared to, say, the swings in rates between the euro and the dollar. This currency stability is a big positive for the cross-border region."
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