THE need to make the most of the opportunities of peace was the theme of the first annual convention of the Northern Ireland Growth Challenge (NIGC), an initiative led by the private sector which aims to make the North the fastest growing region in Europe.
One of the principal objectives is to help create 60,000 jobs by the end of the decade.
NIGC chairman Mr Roy McNulty, who is also the chairman of the Belfast aerospace company, Shorts, said that the initiative was about stimulating changes in attitudes and in the approach to problems.
The Growth Challenge has been criticised by some members of the business community for being too vague in its objectives and for failing to get backing from a majority of influential business people.
Meanwhile, Shorts has been chosen as a qualified supplier for the US company, Texas Instruments, putting it in line for contracts to supply airframe components for projects including the Joint Stand Off Weapon programme.
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