GREATER Manchester Leaders are set to embark on a UK-first mission to North Carolina today m 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 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.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
“Greater Manchester is proud to be leading the UK’s first city-region trade mission to North Carolina as part of the deal struck by Government last year. Our city-region has strong ties to the US that run through our shared histories and shape our ambitions for the future, and we want this to be the first step towards stronger cooperation that will unlock real benefits for people and businesses right here in our 10 boroughs.
“Greater Manchester has an important role to play on the world stage, not just for our city-region but for the whole of UK plc. We are the fastest-growing digital and tech hub in Europe. We’re the home of industrial innovation, and we’re energising a fair transition to carbon neutrality by 2038, boosting skills and creating good, green jobs. Our culture, our music, and our sporting heritage are second to none, and their reputation precedes us wherever we go.
“All of these things mean we are in an ideal position to lead the charge for greater collaboration with like-minded partners around the globe. Doing so has the potential to open up many more opportunities for trade, investment and tourism in our-city region that will benefit both the North West and the country as well.”
