From Midas:Investinmanchester.com

By Rebecca Shaw on Mar. 09, 2023

• Mayor Andy Burnham and Cllr Bev Craig embark on most ambitious mission yet by UK city-region, visiting US to boost trade, investment, and culture in Greater Manchester
• Greater Manchester partnering with UK Government to lead first city-region mission to North Carolina following signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the UK and North Carolina in July 2022
• Greater Manchester and North Carolina to work together to enhance trade relations, promote economic development and increase investment in their respective regions
• Delegation of civic and business leaders will also visit South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX to promote Greater Manchester and attend meetings in New York City to highlight trade and investment opportunities

GREATER Manchester Leaders are set to embark on a UK-first mission to North Carolina today (Thursday 9 March) to boost trade, tourism and investment.

Mayor Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester Economy Lead Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, will arrive in Raleigh on Thursday (9 February) for a mission in partnership with UK Government – the first of its kind since the UK agreed a new economic pact with North Carolina.

The visit to the state, which has a GDP of $550 billion – roughly the same as Sweden – is being coordinated by the UK Government Office in Raleigh, North Carolina, and supported by the two North Carolina chapters of the British-American Business Council – the largest transatlantic business network with over 2,000 member companies based throughout North America and the UK, including many of the world’s largest multinationals.

The Mayor and Cllr Craig will travel to North Carolina’s state capital Raleigh, where they will meet Governor Roy Cooper and take part in trade and investment sessions with local business groups. In Charlotte, the state’s largest city and the second most significant financial centre in the US after New York, the Mayor’s delegation will also meet with Mayor of Charlotte Vi Lyles and leading business executives at a Charlotte FC football match.

In July 2022 the UK Government signed a trade and economic MoU with North Carolina. Following a similar agreement with Indiana, the MoU aims to streamline trade and investment between UK and North Carolinian businesses, and lay a framework for increased cooperation in areas including clean tech and energy infrastructure.

UK and North Carolinian representatives met for the inaugural working group session under the MoU in January this year, ahead of the Greater Manchester trade mission.

Trade between the UK and North Carolina is worth around $2.5 billion, which is roughly the same as the value of trade between Greater Manchester and the US as a whole. US businesses have created thousands of jobs in Greater Manchester, among them North Carolina-based companies including digital studio Epic Games, manufacturer SPX Corporation, and life sciences firm d-Wise. Last year, North Carolina was named ‘America’s top state for business’ in a study for CNBC.

Read Full Article Here