Industry leaders have said an investment summit in Belfast has shown how ‘Northern Ireland is open for business’

Around 120 businesses and investors from across the world arrived in Belfast for the Northern Ireland Investment Summit, which was announced as an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

The comments by the industry leaders comes after a number of job announcements have already been made, including 1,000 new positions created by professional services firm EY over the next five years.

Furthermore, Belfast-based firm Ionic Technologies has been announced as the largest recipient in the first phase of a £15 million government fund, which it will use to scale up production of the rare earths needed to manufacture renewable energy technologies.

The investment will also assist the company to create up to 100 new jobs.

This week a project led by Belfast-based maritime technologies firm Artemis Technologies Ltd was awarded £15.5 million to develop electric passenger vessel services in Orkney as part of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) scheme.

In addition, Northern Ireland-based companies Catagen, Terex and Wrightbus have been awarded a share of nearly £26 million from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Red Diesel Replacement (RDR) competition.

The three-firm consortium has been awarded more than £6 million in grant funding to test e-diesel and hydrogen dispensing technologies in quarrying.

Kemi Badenoch, the Business and Trade Secretary, said that Northern Ireland has “huge potential” and is one of the most exciting places to invest in the world.

He added: “Today’s summit is crucial to tapping into the huge potential that Northern Ireland has and the opportunities it holds for global investors, the people of Northern Ireland and the wider world.”