There is a pressing need for the Northern Ireland Executive to get back up and running after the upcoming Stormont elections, the President of Derry Chamber of Commerce has said.
Aidan O'Kane told Morning Ireland that the institutions formed the 'fundamental building block' for business in the North.
"It's non-negotiable. It has to happen," he said.
Mr O'Kane said the need for a timely restoration of the Executive was made all the more pressing by the current inflationary environment in which business and consumers are operating.
"It's a volatile world. We've just had businesses come through the pandemic. They're in Covid-recovery phase. Now they're dealing with the rising cost of business and the rising cost of energy," he said.
"This is where the Executive reforming is essential to represent and support the business community to grapple with global pressures," he added.
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On the Northern Ireland protocol, Mr O'Kane said the whole region had a great opportunity to have the best of both worlds.
"I would call on political leaders to recognise and market the protocol as a unique opportunity for business in Northern Ireland and for attracting FDI (foreign direct investment)," he said.
"It's not perfect, but you can't make it perfect by just scrapping it," he concluded.
Elections to the Stormont Assembly take place next Thursday, May 5th.
