Flying from Cardiff Airport with Qatar Airways, the trade mission will visit Kuala Lumpur before moving on to Singapore.

The trade mission includes sixteen companies from across Wales from the technology, oil and gas, construction, food and drink, creative and manufacturing sectors.

All are looking to strengthen existing ties and build new relationships in the South East Asian region in order to grow their businesses, with help and support from the Welsh Government’s export team.

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said:

“The Welsh Government is working proactively with companies across Wales to help them drive up the export arm of their business and I am delighted that we are supporting 16 companies.

This is a challenging and uncertain time for business as the UK prepares to leave the EU and it is more important than ever that Welsh companies work to build their trading relationships with businesses from across the world.

Of course this particular trade mission will also help our companies to capitalise on the global trade opportunities presented by the new daily flights between Cardiff and Doha.

Increased exports really can turn the fortunes of a business around I would urge any company looking to drive up this element of their business to contact the Welsh Government and find out more about the help on offer.”

The companies attending the trade mission to Malaysia and Singapore are:

• Al-Met
• AMPLYFI
• Atticus Digital
• BCB International
• Concrete Canvas
• CSCM Group
• Elmac Technologies
• Ecoprocess Engineering
• Flamgard Engineering
• Geo Smart Decisions
• Hijinx
• Manutech Europe
• Rachel’s Dairy
• Safehouse Technology
• Unimaq
• Vortex IoT

Economy Secretary, Ken Skates has pledged that the Welsh Government will invest £100m over ten years to make Blaenau Gwent and the wider South Wales Valleys a globally recognised centre for the development and delivery of emerging technologies.

It is anticipated that the programme known as Tech Valleys will create around 1500 sustainable jobs over the decade.

To progress this work, the Welsh Government has now established the Tech Valleys Strategic Advisory Group.

The Group will provide advice to the First Minister, the Economy Secretary and the Welsh Government on Tech Valleys’  strategic objectives and priorities to help ensure that the impact of the investment is maximised.

It is made up of partners from industry, public sector and academia and will advise on best practice and learning identified in other regions of the UK and internationally.

The Group replaces the Ebbw Vale Enterprise Zone that was wound up in July.

Economy Secretary, Ken Skates said:

“The £100m that we are investing in Tech Valleys will drive high value jobs predominantly within new technologies and advanced manufacturing sector and help to make Blaenau Gwent and the wider South Wales Valleys a globally recognised centre for the development and delivery of emerging technologies.

The investment will also be used to drive and support entrepreneurial activity and to provide high quality employment opportunities and skills development for people living locally.

Tech Valleys really does have the potential to transform lives.   It is a hugely important initiative and I am delighted  that the Tech Valleys Strategic Advisory Group, with its high calibre of membership  has now met and can begin its important role.

I look forward to working closely with the Group and partners from across public sector, industry and academia to ensure our investment in Tech Valleys works to leverage in significant private and public sector funding and delivers against our objectives of better jobs closer to home.”

The summit brought together leaders from government, business and civil society from around the World to “Take Ambition to the Next Level”. 

At the summit, Wales signed up to the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which grew to 74 members. The Alliance is made up of Governments, cities and organisations committed to moving from coal to cleaner power sources. 

The Cabinet Secretary met leaders from states and regions, including British Columbia, Baden-Württemberg, the Basque Country and Quebec, sharing ideas around improving energy efficiency, enabling renewable energy generation, further improving recycling levels, decarbonising transport and expanding our woodlands. 

Wales was again confirmed as a Steering Group Member of the Under2 Coalition for Europe, the coalition of sub-national governments which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The coalition has representation from 43 countries with a collective GDP of nearly $30 trillion. 

Following the Summit, Lesley Griffiths said: 

“Climate change is a global challenge which requires global solutions, so it’s vital we engage with our international partners. 

“We have legally binding targets to reduce emissions in Wales by at least 80% by 2050. The summit has been an excellent opportunity to share knowledge with other nations about moving to a low carbon economy.  

“We have a strong track record in Wales on developing progressive low carbon policies. We were the first Fair Trade nation in the world, the first nation in the UK to introduce a charge on carrier bags and have an enviable record on household recycling, where we are ranked third in the World. 

“However, we can’t work in isolation to achieve our climate change targets. The summit has been a great opportunity to build links with other Governments so we can work together towards our common goal of tackling climate change.” 

The Welsh Government’s consultation, ‘Achieving our low Carbon Pathway to 2030’, is open until 4th October.

Swansea University led a consortium bringing together universities and industry and won the UK wide contest to establish a Centre of Excellence. The university will establish an Active Buildings Centre, leading on work to bring buildings that can generate and store their own energy – active buildings – to wider use.

Housing and Regeneration Minister Rebecca Evans said:

“We are committed to developing affordable and energy efficient housing, as we work to achieve stretching climate change targets and meet our target to build 20,000 affordable homes this Assembly term.

“Swansea University’s success is a recognition of their work in this area through the SPECFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre and the energy and expertise in the housebuilding sector in Wales. It also reflects our commitment to supporting the development of buildings that can reduce energy bills and generate electricity. 

“We are dedicating £5m of our Innovative Housing Programme over two years to support eligible projects developed at the Active Building Centre. We are looking for projects that can help meet our affordable housing needs, projects that can tackle fuel poverty and improve the lives of people who live in them. 

“I’m delighted to offer this support to the exciting new Active Building Centre being developed at Swansea University.”  

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: 

“I am pleased to have provided £1.5m to support the Active Building Centre which will further the ambitions of our Economic Action Plan by driving inclusive growth, reducing carbon emissions and helping to attract more research and innovation funding to Wales.

“We are currently exploring how we grow a supply chain to deliver new innovative building products, services and help transform the construction sector. We are working closely with the university to find a suitable site to develop this work further. 

“Innovations in housebuilding have the potential to create new skills and new jobs and enable us to become a leader in this field.  I’m looking forward to watching this project flourish and grow.”

The grant will support some 41 projects across 16 local authorities and create an additional 2818 school and childcare places for Welsh medium learners. This is in addition to the £5 million for the Pantycelyn development announced earlier this year, making a total of £ 51 million to support Welsh education.

The Minister made the announcement today during a visit to Ysgol Gyfyn Gwynllyw in Pontypool which will be receiving a new primary school and nursery on the site as a result of the Welsh Medium Capital Grant.

Also among the 41 projects that will now be funded through the grant are new Welsh medium primaries in Merthyr Tydfil and Torfaen, the first ever Welsh medium school in Monmouth town, and an innovative Welsh language centre in Denbighshire.

Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, Eluned Morgan said:

“These projects will make a significant contribution to the provision of Welsh medium education. Having a comfortable, modern, fit-for-purpose environment in which to learn is vital to ensuring young people have the best possible education. This extra funding will mean that even more of our students will be able to benefit from excellent facilities to learn through the medium of Welsh.

“In addition to creating new schools and expanding current sites, this extra funding will give the green light to Welsh language centres across Wales. These centres make learning Welsh as a second language much more accessible and that’s vital if the language is to continue to grow and thrive.

“Our challenge of reaching a million Welsh speakers by 2050 is a significant challenge and education is key to our success. By investing in new Welsh medium schools and improving and increasing the teaching of Welsh in English medium schools we are paving the way for the future and laying the right foundations to reach this target.”

Minister for Children, Huw Irranca-Davies said:

“Providing early opportunities for Welsh learning is vital if we are to increase the number of Welsh speakers, and I’m pleased today’s funding announcement will also go towards increasing the number of childcare places for Welsh medium learners.

“By working together across government and combining funding from both the Welsh Medium Capital and Childcare Offer Capital Grants we have been able to get better return on investment, resulting in better services for young people.”