Minister's speech - Boston Business Leaders Invest NI event - 14 November 2025

Note: this publication may not reflect verbatim delivery by Minister Archibald.

Good morning everyone

I arrived here late on Wednesday night and sometimes travelling can be tiring but it’s actually been really energizing to be here.

Because we’ve been so well received here in Boston and there is an incredibly positive mood among the delegation here from the North West.

That optimism is very much apparent in places like Derry.

There’s a buzz in the city and a sense that this is our time.

The business community is leading the way with its enterprise and investment.

That commercial activity is being enabled by the excellent civic leadership of Derry & Strabane and Donegal Councils.

It is benefitting from the academic and research support of our universities and colleges.

And it is underpinned by the political commitment of the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive – and it’s been really great to be here alongside Minister McConalogue to promote the North West region.

A perfect example is the project to expand the Magee Campus at Derry to 10,000 students.

All of us are working together on this project, including the Irish Government which has made a significant financial contribution.

People can really see the change and just in the last few months I’ve been in Derry to announce a series of major investments – from EY, Seagate, FinTru, and Alchemy.

Yesterday afternoon I met one of our existing US investors who has set up in Belfast.

Before I even got to broach the subject – and believe me I wasn’t going to wait about - the CEO asked me about Derry and the talent that can be tapped into there.

So that is another indication of how the North West is putting itself on the map for investment.

Northern Ireland as a whole is doing well – our economy is outperforming Britain both in terms of its overall growth rate and its growth in exports.

And within that positive overall picture there is undoubtedly a particularly compelling value proposition in the North West.

As Economy Minister in the North I’m determined to see that potential realized.

Thank you.