The new CEO of the Western Development Commission has highlighted the importance of small community groups in rural areas getting all the supports they need.
Tomas O Siochain says these local groups make an important contribution toward helping other businesses, including multinationals, create jobs as well as improving the areas where employees live.
O Siochain, a native of County Clare, joins the WDC from NUI Galway, having previously spent more than 14 years as a journalist with RTE and TG4.
Speaking to Ocean FM News, Mr O Siochain says a key challenge is to ensure that policy initiatives take account of what is actually happening on the ground in areas like the west and north west:
