President Biden comes to town!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that US President Joe Biden has been visiting Ireland all this week, in part to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement as well as explore his own family connections to Ireland! Chamber CEO Anna Doherty was privileged enough to be one of the special guests at his only public address in Northern Ireland on Wednesday at Ulster University’s new campus in Belfast. President Biden gave a positive and uplifting speech to mark 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, lauding Northern Ireland’s immense progress since 1998, saying the transformation of the country is an “incredible testament to the power and the possibilities of peace.”

He insisted stable devolved government could deliver an economic windfall for the region and hailed the Windsor Framework as addressing the practical realities of Brexit. He echoed the call of the Chamber and other business representative organisations for the speedy and full return of the Executive and Assembly and hailed Northern Ireland’s reputation for new and emerging sectors like life sciences, cybersecurity, and tech. He also announced that his Special Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy III, will be leading a trade delegation of US companies to Northern Ireland later this year and also said there are “scores” of US corporations who are looking to invest here. This was an overwhelmingly positive address, one which recognised our progress since 1998 as well as highlighting the work which still needs done to deliver on the initial promise of the agreement and bring prosperity to all our communities and businesses.

The North West has a strong track record of attracting US investment to our region, including Allstate, Dupont, Terex, and Seagate in Northern Ireland and companies like Pramerica, Optum, and E+I Engineering across the border in Donegal. The North West remains a very attractive location for investment for North American companies with a strong mix of skilled workforce, a business-friendly environment, and world-class educational institutions on our doorstep ensuring a strong pipeline of talent. The Chamber continued to sell the positive message of our region and held a productive first engagement with Special Envoy Joe Kennedy in the North West today. Our President, Selina Horshi, was part of a delegation of city stakeholders who met with Mr Kennedy, hoping to deepen links with the Biden Administration and ensure that the North West remains a leading location to work, play, and live!