That was the message delivered by the Economy Minister, Nigel Dodds when he addressed a university audience in New Dehli today.
The Minister is on a four day mission to India to develop trade, investment and tourism links.
Speaking at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mr Dodds said: “The new devolved Government is determined to focus on the future and deliver a better and more sustainable Northern Ireland for all of our people.
“The Programme for Government (PfG), Budget and Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland was agreed last month unanimously by the Executive Ministers, and is a clear indication of the way forward for a vibrant Northern Ireland.
“Economic growth has been placed firmly as the top priority in the PfG. This represents a real change in emphasis for our government’s priorities and its importance should not be underestimated. The central aim is to strengthen the private sector and raise living standards.”
Addressing the audience of academics and political students the Minister continued: “Many changes have happened in Northern Ireland over the last decade – our economic landscape has certainly changed dramatically. Great strides have been made in many of the key economic indicators.
“We have experienced record levels of low unemployment. There is widespread high regard for our education system, with 37% of 18 year olds in higher education, compared to 28% in 1996. There is huge potential for tourism growth with around 35 new international routes flying into Northern Ireland.
“Undoubtedly there are still challenges ahead with living standards around 20% below the UK average. Our economic structure is biased towards low value added sectors and private sector earnings are low. We have high levels of economic inactivity and a low employment rate.”
The Minister went on to outline the way forward for economic growth and said: “The pace of globalisation continues unabated. All modern economies must manage the transition to high value added activity. In the face of international low cost competition, we need business operations local and foreign owned to build, develop, and fully utilise the skills of the workforce; invest heavily in Research and Development (R&D) and innovation and strengthen local supply chains. These factors will help strengthen the degree to which businesses are embedded into the local economy.”
Mr Dodds highlighted the trade and investment links already established with India and said: “Northern Ireland has a long history of doing business with India and it remains a key source of inward investment and trade revenue.
“We have attracted key investors from India including, Firstsource, Polaris Software Lab Ltd, Tech Mahindra and HCL BPO.
“And this is not just one-way traffic. Northern Ireland companies have facilities in major Indian cities such as New Dehli and Mumbai. FG Wilson, Mivan, Relay Business Software, Singularity, Delta Print and Packaging, Denman International, and CDE Ireland all have facilities in India, Randox Laboratories has been doing business in India for over 20 years and employs over 100 people, mostly PhDs across the whole of India.”
In Northern Ireland, government is encouraging organisations and individuals across the private and academic sectors to come together to create partnerships and launch joint initiatives in order to drive forward the knowledge-led economy.
Both Queen's University and the University of Ulster are continually developing relationships in India to attract students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, as well as technology and academic exchanges.
Mr Dodds commented on the university links already established and said: “University of Ulster has close links with Jawaharial Nehru University (JNU), over the past four years and I understand that Queen’s University also has plans to work with JNU in the near future, in areas as diverse as biosciences, economics and politics.”
The Minister concluded: “I hope that by continuing to work, research, study and trade together, both countries can mutually benefit and develop into prosperous and vibrant societies in which to live, work and visit.”
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