23rd April 2015
Conclusion of 5-day 5-city Gulf States leg of mission, organised by Enterprise Ireland
Minister Bruton now travels to India for 4-day second leg, organised by IDA Ireland
28 jobs in Ireland and contracts worth almost €16m for Irish companies were among the initial, immediate results of the Enterprise Ireland trade mission to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD announced today (Thursday) from the UAE.
In addition, a significant number of strong leads for potential sales for Irish exporting companies have been created during the 5-day 5-city first leg of the mission, which will be followed up in the coming weeks and months.
Minister Bruton now travels to India for the 4-day second leg of the mission, which will focus on attracting Indian multinational companies to make investments and create jobs in Ireland.
63 Irish companies participated on the Gulf states leg of the trade mission which focused on the following sectors: Aviation; IT, Software and Services; Smart Environment/Energy services; Life Sciences; Water/Waste Water; Agricultural technology; Business and Consumer Services.
Among the deals announced by Irish companies during the mission were:
- Miagen secured an ongoing contract to consult and implement a Financial Planning and Analysis system for the National Real Estate Company (NREC), one of the largest real estate companies and developers in the gulf. NREC is also the main developer of Abu Dhabi’s $1 billion Reem Mall project.
- The Mater Private Healthcare Group announced it has secured an agreement with the Dubai Police Force to provide an integrated healthcare solution for its employees, their family members and retired officers. As part of the agreement over 100,000 Dubai residents will be afforded access to high-tech health care and world-renowned specialists at Mater Private Healthcare Group.
- Tango Telecom announced a deal/partnership with Thuraya Telecommunications Company to deploy Tango Telecom’s advanced iAX™ Next Generation Messaging Platform for service innovation and monetization. This solution provides value-added messaging services to enable Thuraya to maximise customer satisfaction and loyalty by significantly improving subscriber engagement and service velocity across the 160 countries it serves.
Speaking from Abu Dhabi before departing for India, Minister Bruton said: “At the heart of our Action Plan for Jobs is building a new, sustainable, jobs-rich economy based on exports and innovation. As the immediate results from this mission show, the opportunities for innovative Irish companies to increase their sales to this region are real and tangible. I have said before that Irish companies are at the heart of the recovery we are witnessing across our economy. The 63 companies who participated in this mission, some of whom have finalised deals, others of whom have made major progress, have done great work over this week. These companies will drive our employment recovery, and I wish them every success with pursuing the opportunities that have developed over the past week".
In line with Enterprise Ireland’s strategy, the objective of the Trade Mission was to build on Ireland’s existing strong economic links with KSA, Qatar and the UAE. The visit facilitated practical relationship building for Irish companies with their current and prospective counterparts in the Gulf region, as well as raising the profile of Ireland at the highest levels of Government in the three countries. Over the course of the five day programme introductions were made, contacts developed and business relationships progressed from which significant increases in exports and jobs by Irish companies are targeted over the coming years.
Brendan Flood, Head of International Sales and Partnering at Enterprise Ireland, who is accompanying Minister Bruton on the trade mission added: “A key element of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy is to grow indigenous Irish companies on a global scale. Ministerial-led trade missions provide a strong platform to promote Ireland and Irish companies as strategic partners across multiple sectors in key international markets. Trade missions also demonstrate how Enterprise Ireland can act as a conduit for international buyers to access Ireland’s world-class goods and services. The announcements made by Irish companies during this trade mission clearly demonstrate the opportunities that exist for innovative and ambitious Irish companies in the Gulf region. Enterprise Ireland is committed to working closely with our client companies as they grow their international sales, creating and sustaining jobs in Ireland”.
ENDS
Media Contact Information:
DJEI: Press Office 01 631 2200 or press.office@djei.ie
Enterprise Ireland: Paula Chase, Press Officer 01 727 2842
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