As part of its concerted efforts to develop the Western Region and its people, a high-level delegation from the Western Region Development Council (WRDC) of Abu Dhabi conducted a four-day fact-finding visit to Ireland last week.

The visit was aimed at learning about and gaining a better understanding of Ireland’s outstanding economic progress.

The delegation’s visit, led by WRDC director general Mohamed Hamed Al Mazrouei, comes within the context of WRDC initiatives to understand the development models of different regions across the globe - with Ireland representing an excellent example of what WRDC aims to achieve for the development of the Western Region.

“It was a great privilege for us to study Ireland’s model of development. During the visit, we discussed a vast array of development aspects with key agencies in Ireland, who work with residents, business owners and developers across education, investment, tourism and other sectors,” said Al Mazrouei.

“These deliberations gave us an excellent perspective to implement the vision of our higher leadership for the development of the Western Region – putting our people at the forefront. Through our discussions, we were able to learn from Ireland’s experience throughout various stages of its development, which will be highly beneficial when mapping out our own growth strategy,” he added.

The visit included a series of discussions with high-ranking officials in Ireland, focusing on industrial, social and economic development in the country, which in recent times has been dubbed the ’Celtic Tiger‘.

The WRDC delegation discussed potential collaboration and future learning opportunities with representatives of International Development Ireland (IDI), Industrial Development Agency (IDA) Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

They also met with senior delegates from Athlone Institute of Technology and talked about the establishment of the Midlands Innovation and Research Centre that offers support to new and existing companies – providing resources and expertise.

While further talks with IDI shed light on the Irish Success Story, discussions with IDA and Enterprise Ireland centred on their specific development initiatives. The visiting delegation also held a joint meeting with the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Department of Community, Shannon Free Zone, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Westmeath County Council and Enterprise Board.

IDI focuses on providing services to develop emerging markets, specialising in the design and management of industrial and economic development programmes, IDA Ireland is responsible for securing new investments in manufacturing and services. The core mission of Enterprise Ireland is to accelerate the development of Irish companies across global markets. – TradeArabia News Service