Business leaders in Hampshire and the Irish port of Drogheda have signed an international accord designed to foster mutual trade and investment opportunities.

The ‘friendship and solidarity twinning agreement’ is between Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and the Drogheda and District Chamber.

It follows recent collaborations involving business, education and civic leaders in the two regions and was formally inked as part of Portsmouth & South Coast Business Week.

Signing the four-year agreement on behalf of Hampshire Chamber, Chief Executive Ross McNally said:

“We are setting the scene for closer trade links between us and Drogheda and the potential to generate jobs and inward investment in both regions. This is all about two chambers of commerce working closer together for the benefit of our respective memberships."

“It a great opportunity for Hampshire firms to extend their reach and contacts with an EU port and likewise for Drogheda businesses to leverage the scope for more trading here in the UK.”

Drogheda is in County Louth, around 40km (25 miles) north of Dublin, and is home to more than 40,000 inhabitants. Its industries include brewing, distilling and port operations.

Close ties between Drogheda and Portsmouth are graphically illustrated by the two ports’ coats of arms, which both feature a star and crescent moon. The emblems, also shared by Portsmouth and Drogheda football clubs, have historical significance rooted in both industrial and port communities.

Drogheda Chamber Chief Executive Hubert Murphy, who was on the Irish delegation to Portsmouth & South Coast Business Week and signed the agreement with Ross, said:

“We want to put Drogheda and its incredible potential on the big stage and this was truly one of these moments. We intend to create solid working relationships with the team in Hampshire and open routes for our members to do business there via our contacts."

“At the same time, we’ll open channels for overseas parties to make Drogheda their European base. For instance, the opportunities around offshore wind are huge and I believe we can engage people to be part of that journey for this region.”

Under the agreement, the two chambers pledge to promote trade and investment opportunities between their respective regions, exchange information and best practice on chamber operations and member services, and host joint events, business delegations and networking sessions.

Portsmouth & South Coast Business Week brought together Hampshire Chamber partners from business, local government, education and the third sector for a busy programme of presentations, networking and behind-the-scenes visits.

As well as Portsmouth, events took place at venues in Havant, Gosport, Fareham and Southampton, with sessions streamed on Facebook Live.