Vest-Agder County Council
Key Competitive Attractions
Vest-Agder County is has the highest level of foreign exports, and its main industries are shipping and maritime, leisure and tourism, and commerce. Its administrative centre is Kristiansand, whose municipality is the 6th biggest in Norway, with a population of 80,109 people (2009).
Kristiansand is well connected to continental Europe by air and sea links, via Kjevik Airport, which serves flights to key to Norwegian and European destinations. The ferry port has regular services to Hirtshals and Hanstholm, both in Denmark.
Kristiansand is well known for its major port and shipbuilding activities, home to numerous shipyards and repair facilities that have developed in recent decades to support the North Sea oil industry. The region is also home to the Static Inverter Plant of Cross-Skagerak, the HVDC transmission facility between Kristiansand and Tjele (Denmark).
Kristiansand is also home to The University of Agder's largest campus, and 8,000 graduates replenish the workforce each year in areas such as business, economics, engineering technology, mathematics, healthcare, teacher education, the humanities and the arts.
One of the campuses of the Norwegian School of Management is situated in Kristiansand, as well as the Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication.
Assistance and Support For New Business Investors
Vest-Agder aims to become a leading region for using modern electronic infrastructure, capitalising on the opportunities that ICT provides for increased competitiveness and cost. These aims are being facilitated by the college, and the economic plan for Vest-Agder. Sirdal Innovation Centre was founded to stimulate an entrepreneurial and business environment.
