Why time is right for a new version of the WDA

Wil Williams on why Wales needs to bring back a version of the Welsh Development Agency as advocated by Plaid Cymru

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REMEMBER The Matrix Reloaded? That scene when Neo realises he's not the first; that there've been many versions before, each one an iteration trying to fix the flaws of the last? Well, welcome to the sequel, WDA 2.0.

For those of us who've been watching Wales' economic performance since the original Welsh Development Agency (WDA) was scrapped in 2006, there’s a sense of déjà vu; only this time, the stakes feel higher.

We've now had nearly two decades of policy drift, bureaucratic chop-and-change and missed opportunity.

Productivity’s still flat, investment in innovation lags behind the UK average and too many of our businesses never make it past the startup phase.

Despite all the promise of devolution, we've yet to crack the code of sustainable, Wales-led economic growth.

And with Plaid Cymru’s Making Wales Work laying out a fresh and compelling argument for change, it’s time to talk seriously about a return to something bold - but better. Enter WDA 2.0.

Why WDA 2.0?