Shadow Minister for Equality Mohammad Asghar has welcomed the Welsh Assembly Government’s new approach to economic development – but stressed the new direction must be assessed on results.
During a debate in the Senedd, the South Wales East AM said: “I welcome the Welsh Assembly Government’s review of economic development and hope that it delivers important improvements, which are desperately needed in Wales.
“All government departments … have a major role to play in aiding Wales’s economic development.
“Wales must be a business-friendly nation to ensure that businesses want to start up and invest here in the long term”.
Highlighting surveys which have suggested Wales is “less globally engaged” than other UK regions, Mr Asghar added: “For our full economic potential to be realised, it is clear that Wales must sell itself to the world and reach out to global markets, generating key international economic links”.
He added: “Monday’s announcement saw the Deputy First Minister highlight a radical transformation in the way the Welsh Assembly Government approaches economic development and business support. As we await the necessary changes to be put into practice, we must now hope for a radical transformation in terms of outcomes.
“Considerable challenges lie ahead such as boosting productivity, unleashing life into the private sector, making Wales a more attractive place for investment and making necessary improvements to infrastructure.
“The Welsh Assembly Government must now tackle these challenges and stimulate performance. Wales must stop lagging behind its competitors economically and become the prosperous and successful nation it can be”.
