Thousands of jobs and millions in funding announced for NI ahead of summit

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Secretary of State for Business & Trade Kemi Badenoch said Northern Ireland’s unique trading position made it “one of the most exciting places to invest in the world”. “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,” she said. This summit is a fitting celebration of Northern Ireland’s bright future during the 25th anniversary year of the Belfast Agreement.” This week a project led by Belfast-based maritime firm Artemis Technologies Ltd has been awarded £15.5 million to develop electric passenger vessel services in Orkney as part of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure scheme, designed to support the design and development of near-commercial clean maritime solutions. Mel Chittock, Interim CEO of Invest NI, said: “Today’s summit is an opportunity to showcase our success stories and create a space for investors to learn why Northern Ireland is one of the most attractive places in the world for businesses to invest and grow.” He added: “We are taking the opportunity at today’s summit to build on investments like this and show to around 200 global investors why we are one of the most attractive business environments in Western Europe.