Today WhiteLight Consulting had  were delighted to support Louth County Council and the Louth Economic Forum in unveiling the new FDI Strategy for Louth.

The first phase strategy (2010-2015) contained a target of creating 3,000 new jobs in IDA supported companies over ten years.  In the first five years of the Action Plan up to 2014, a total of 2,074 new jobs were created – meaning two-thirds of the ten year target of 3,000 jobs has already been achieved. 

Phase II of their FDI Strategy will cover the period 2015-2020 and targets the creation of a further 300 FDI jobs per year in Louth.

The Forum is a collaborative effort, led by Louth County Council with IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, SEAI, the education sector, Teagasc, Fáilte Ireland, Dept. of Social Protection, the business community. The Forum acts as an advisory body to Louth County Council and the new FDI plan has been reviewed and approved by the elected members .

Addressing the conference, the Louth Economic Forum Chairperson Padraic White explained the background: “It seems obvious today that bringing the stakeholders together was the way forward but when the Forum was first convened back in 2009 this was not common practice. Louth County Council should be commended for their vision and commitment to the Forum.”

He continued “The purpose of the Forum is to ensure that the right conditions prevail to attract FDI into Louth. We work collectively to overcome any barriers and to promote the attributes of this wonderful county to potential investors and influencers.”

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Business and Employment, Ged Nash T.D. said “Growth in the Bio-Pharmaceutical, Global Business Services and High-Value Manufacturing sectors will be actively targeted during the lifetime of this strategy. Louth has the accessibility and infrastructure needed to support companies in these sectors and I know that the stakeholders in the Forum will work harder than ever to attract investment.”

The strategy contains a 10 point action plan, complete with timelines. The Louth Economic Forum will continue to work to create optimal conditions for existing and new companies to create employment in Louth. A copy of the report is available to download from the Louth County Council website.

View Report on the www.LouthCoCo.ie website by visiting  Services / Economic Development / Louth Economic Forum / Action Plan