22 February 2001 Edition
InterTradeIreland strategy plan agreed
Despite the impasses on policing and demilitarisation, one aspect of the Good Friday Agreement is making headway. Last Friday, the operating plan of InterTradeIreland (ITI), the Trade and Business Development Body set up under the agreement, was approved by Reg Empey, Assembly minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment and Mary Harney, Dublin government minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment.
ITI is to promote increased use of and access to equity and venture capital throughout the island to help develop new and existing indigenous businesses. It will also concentrate its efforts on developing strategic business networks in the border region.
Developing e-commerce throughout the island, and a cross border graduate placement scheme is also part of the InterTradeIreland Programme. InterTradeIreland board member Robbie Smyth told An Phoblacht that the agreement by the North/South Ministerial Council of the work programme was a positive development.
This was enhanced, Smyth said, by the ``extension of ITI's remit to include studying competitiveness on the island''. This included skills and labour mobility, information technology and telecommunications, research and development linkages, capital availability and infrastructure, some of ``the building blocks'', according to Smyth, of the ``island economy''.
ITI is to promote increased use of and access to equity and venture capital throughout the island to help develop new and existing indigenous businesses. It will also concentrate its efforts on developing strategic business networks in the border region.
Developing e-commerce throughout the island, and a cross border graduate placement scheme is also part of the InterTradeIreland Programme. InterTradeIreland board member Robbie Smyth told An Phoblacht that the agreement by the North/South Ministerial Council of the work programme was a positive development.
This was enhanced, Smyth said, by the ``extension of ITI's remit to include studying competitiveness on the island''. This included skills and labour mobility, information technology and telecommunications, research and development linkages, capital availability and infrastructure, some of ``the building blocks'', according to Smyth, of the ``island economy''.