Set up in the late 1990s, the Western Development Commission (WDC) was a government response to intense public pressure to help tackle the massive population decline the Western Region of Ireland had endured over many years. The scale of this decline, coupled with the region’s peripheral location and weak infrastructure, resulted in little investment being attracted to the West.

The resulting lack of job opportunities and widespread emigration led to the setting up of the Western Development Commission - a statutory body established to promote both social and economic development in the Western Region counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway and Clare.

The WDC plays a unique role in the Western Region:

• It has been the only agency with the remit to develop and facilitate regional strategies.
• It has been the only agency with the remit to advise national government on policy changes vital for the West.
• It has been able to support local businesses with expertise and with investment from the unique WDC Investment Fund (WIF).
• It has supported and set up projects and other initiatives both on its own and through working with other agencies.

Its cutting-edge and comprehensive research on the Western Region has helped to highlight what businesses and individuals need in order to thrive and prosper in the Western counties.  Small, flexible and regionally focused, the WDC can collaborate with all sectors (public, private and voluntary) and find ways around organisational boundaries.
The WDC:

• Plays a key role in regional development – through strategic initiatives in various sectors such as agriculture and tourism.
• Advises government on policies affecting the region (all proposals are based on comprehensive economic and social research).
• Ensures that government policy is directed at improving the social and economic situation in the Western Region and that the interests of the West are always considered at the highest levels of government.
• Manages the WDC Investment Fund (WIF), established to fill a ‘funding gap’ adversely affecting businesses and community groups in the region.
• Develops projects on a regional basis in sectors such as tourism, industry, marine, renewable energy, technology and organic agri-food.

Its regionally focused ethos and a strong culture of sharing its resources and information has meant that it has played continues to play a central role in bringing growth and prosperity to Ireland's Western Region.