Greater Manchester refreshes strategy on harnessing partnership with India

The Manchester India Partnership has refreshed its strategy of how best to harness relationships between the city-region and India.

Launched in 2018 by the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership and inward investment agency, MIDAS, the Manchester India Partnership looks to build and strengthen the city-region’s trade, investment, cultural and educational ties with the world’s sixth largest economy. The organisation’s new strategy aligns with the national UK India 2030 Roadmap and the local GM Industrial Strategy.

The new strategy will engage India in Greater Manchester’s key areas of strength – digital and technology, low carbon, advanced manufacturing, and health innovation – which are also key growth sectors for the Indian economy, and centres around five key pillars:

1. Raising the profile of Greater Manchester in India
2. Accelerating educational, innovation and entrepreneurship links between GM and India
3. Promoting culture, sports and tourism collaborations
4. Enhanced trade and investment
5. Increase in visitor numbers to the city region from India

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“The Manchester India Partnership has played a key role in developing and expanding connections between our city-region and India over the last few years. This renewed strategy will set out how that relationship can be strengthened in the future, based around our long-term ambitions for trade, investment, and innovation.

“Our city-region is home to more than 55,000 people from the Indian diaspora, and what this strategy also does is acknowledge the importance and the value of those cultural links that enrich and enliven our communities, and how they too can be a source of shared prosperity.”

Shehla Hasan, Executive Director Manchester India Partnership said,

“Over 1,000 businesses in the Northwest exported over £310 million worth of goods to India in 2019 and in the financial year 2021-2022, India became the fastest growing economy in the world. Our aim is for Greater Manchester to be recognised as the strongest UK region as a partner for this sustained growth.”

The full strategy is available to download from the MIDAS website.