Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is leading a 30-strong delegation visit to India this week to celebrate and strengthen bilateral ties in trade, investment, tourism, culture and education between India and Manchester.
Martyn Collins, the Director of Digital City Festival, is part of the delegation and is writing a daily Prolific North blog during the trip.
The delegation is expected to agree a series of deals and partnerships boosting jobs in Greater Manchester and there are wider ambitions to drive a £400m economic boost for India and the North of England in the next five years.
The visit is being delivered by the Manchester India Partnership, an organisation established in 2018 to bring together businesses, universities and the public sector in engaging India.
The delegation will visit Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi during the six-day trip, meeting with government officials and business leaders across several industries. The Manchester India Partnership will also host three major events in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.
Burnham, was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 said: “With broader economic uncertainty over Brexit, it’s good to be able to enjoy support from international partners, of which India is one of the city-region’s – and the wider UK’s – most important.
“India is a key market in Greater Manchester’s internationalisation strategy as it presents significant opportunities to the city-region, but these opportunities are mutual, and Greater Manchester is also helping India with its own economic growth plans.
“This visit provides an opportunity to explore the benefits of collaboration resulting from the creation of the Manchester India Partnership and showcase the impact of our strengthened relationships across digital technology, engineering, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and academia; while also emphasising opportunities for tourism, sport and cultural collaboration.”
Sir Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India, added: “I am delighted that the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and a delegation of senior representatives from Manchester and the North West of England are visiting India.
“This will be an excellent opportunity to strengthen the ties between the Manchester city-region and India. The visit will continue the work that the Manchester India Partnership is doing, in partnership with the Department for International Trade, to bring together business, universities and the public sector in our two countries.
“There are great opportunities to develop in both regions, as well as the person-to-person living bridge links that exist in culture, sport and education.”
The visit follows a three-day trip to Bangladesh from 3-5 October.
