It has become the driving force of the economic development of Lea Ibarra from its very beginning.

In the 70s, a strong movement against the decadence of the small towns appeared in Lea Ibarra; it was led mainly by the youth who were forced to leave their villages and go to cities outside the region to look for a job.

The valley's complete dependence on agriculture brought disastrous consequences. It had no industrial lands, and no traditions for creating businesses either. Unemployment was terribly high, and there were no prospects for the future. For this reason young people tended to leave their towns, and the valley was heading for decadence. Alternatives had to be found, the valley's identity had to be maintained and strengthened.

With the arrival of democratic councils, this movement and its proposals became more powerful, to the point that they became the axis for the development of the region. The creation of an industrial area that would meet the region's needs was one of the movement's proposals.

With the constitution of the Town Community of Lea Ibarra, a new and significant step was taken towards the development of the valley. As a result of the work carried out by this organisation, in December 1984 the public institution Okamikako Industrialdea S.A. (The Industrial Area of Okamika PLC) was created with the approval of the Regional Council of Bizkaia. Its aim would be to promote the industrial area of Okamika and to boost the economic development of the valley.

The Regional Council of Bizkaia gathered 80 million pesetas of shared capital as partner, and the project was launched with great hopes. A few years later, the Basque Government also committed itself to the Industrial Area of Okamika: through the organisation SPRILUR, it appropriated the majority of the shared capital of the entity and brought strength to accomplish the next phases. By then, the first phase of the project was finished, and a few new companies were already established in the Industrial Area.

Nowadays, after achieving a shared capital of almost 750 million pesetas, there have been great investments to improve the infrastructures of the site. New phases have been carried out, a complex sewage treatment system has been installed and industrial pavilions adding up to 22.000 m2 have been built.

The 95 % of that space built in the Industrial Area is completely taken today. There are 30 companies working there, 24 of them recently formed, and they have created over 400 jobs. There are plans to build a new pavilion for the year 2001, and at present an expansion project to meet the needs of the coming years is being designed.

WHAT THE INDUSTRIAL AREA OF OKAMIKA OFFERS

In order to boost new business projects, the applicants are expected to carry out promotion work, and above all to create the infrastructure required for their project, always bearing in mind the valley's characteristics.

The services offered by the Industrial Area of Okamika can be summarised as follows:

• The businesses that apply for a pavilion obtain industrial units suited to their needs.
• There are special payment methods: businesses are allowed to pay the rent for the premises with nine yearly payments. The viability of the project and the monthly payments are the only surety required.
• A place and advice for launching proposals and new business projects. The research centre for new businesses, "Legamin", is an essential tool in this process.
• Other services:
  - Grouped services for the use of the companies settled in the Industrial Area: telex, telefax, automated switchboard, meeting room, halls for conferences and training, coordination between companies.
  - A café and a restaurant, provided by a company located in the main building.