Galway Bay fm newsroom - IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, has told the Government that chronic under-investment in the west is undermining the prospects for economic recovery.
It's made a submission to the mid-term review of the National Development Plan, in which it says the west region needs a substantially enhanced and more ambitious roadmap.
IBEC argues investment is needed to make the region more resilient and globally competitive due to Covid, Brexit and other global threats.
It adds that sectors such as tourism, leisure, and hospitality are particularly exposed in the west.
It also notes that the downgrading of the region by the EU to a ‘Region in Transition’ makes a compelling case for accelerated investment.
Key recommendations in the submission on the NDP include increased capital investment, completion of the M17 Tuam to Sligo, improved public transport, investment in Galway Port, re-vitalisation of town centres, and support to establish a technological university for the region, as well as advance the N6 ring road project.
