London, March 12 The Consulate General of India (CGI) in Manchester is celebrating its first anniversary, launched last March by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, with a major summit to showcase investment opportunities for Indian businesses in northern England.
The inaugural ‘India-Northern England Opportunity Summit’ on March 20 will bring together policymakers, entrepreneurs, and industry experts from both countries for a day of impactful dialogue and partnerships.
This event comes at a crucial stage in the bilateral economic partnership, which is set to be significantly enhanced as the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) moves towards implementation next month.
“This summit positions Manchester as a strategic gateway for Indian businesses expanding into the UK and Europe, creating a powerful corridor for investment, partnerships, and cross-border growth,” said Consul General Vishakha Yaduvanshi.
The summit, in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Manchester India Partnership (MIP), will be held at the city's famous Old Trafford stadium – the home ground of the Manchester United football team.
CGI Manchester expects that the insights from these discussions will help foster dynamic trade, technology, talent, and innovation connections across the North England corridor.
During the launch of the Manchester Consulate in March 2025, EAM Jaishankar had expressed the hope that it would "spur more trade and investment, and education and technology-related activities, and, most importantly, it will be an important step in a deeper partnership with the United Kingdom."
The investment summit comes as the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is progressing rapidly through its parliamentary ratification process in Britain.
“I emphasise that every region and nation will benefit from this deal, including a £210 million boost for the northwest of England, driven by aerospace and automotive wins,” Lord Jason Stockwood, Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), told Parliament earlier this month.
The latest DBT statistics show that bilateral trade was at £47.2 billion in the past year, up 15 per cent year-on-year, making India the 11th-largest trading partner.
These figures are expected to increase by around £25.5 billion a year by 2040 following the implementation of the CETA this year.
