The IDA's director in the Border area has criticised the pace at which road infrastructure is being upgraded in the north west. He said it was time for the talking to stop and the construction to proceed at a faster pace.
Mr Frank Conlon, who is responsible for an area from Donegal to Louth, also added his voice to a campaign to have the N4 upgraded to a motorway. Under the National Development Plan, the north west will be the only region in the State not served by a motorway.
Mr Conlon said there was no doubt that this would leave the region at a disadvantage in attracting industry.
"We have to compete with every other region which will have a motorway and of course that will influence the flow of investment," Mr Conlon said.
The IDA has a target of bringing 50 per cent of all new jobs from greenfield investment to the Objective One or Border, Midlands and Western (BMW) region.
He said there was an "unrelenting drive" within the IDA to meet that target, and on average there was a visit every week to the Border region by potential overseas investors.
Mr Conlon said the quality of roads was a basic requirement for economic development, and the network to the north west and the north east needed faster development to match the motorway plans for the south and west.
"The talking has got to stop and the construction has to proceed at a faster pace if the required upgrading is to be achieved in the timeframe set down."
He said he was also concerned about the "slow pace of movement" in upgrading the electricity supply in much of the region. An increased and improved electricity supply was essential if development was to continue at the required pace, he said.