Ahmedabad: A 37-member delegation led by the West Midlands Growth Company arrived in Ahmedabad on Sunday to strengthen economic, cultural, and educational ties. The visit centres on the inaugural Commonwealth Connect Forum, a collaborative initiative designed to leverage sports-led regeneration and innovation.Key leaders spearheading this mission include Richard Parker, mayor of the West Midlands, Manoj Ladwa, chairman and CEO of India Global Forum and Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company.The delegation will spend two days in the city. On Sunday, the team, led by Parker, met chief minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar.The two leaders expressed readiness for collaborations in fields such as higher education, the green economy and EV, skill development, sports infrastructure, AI, and advanced manufacturing, an official statement said.The CM proposed that a joint working group between Gujarat and West Midlands be formed for better coordination in areas of cooperation, govt said. “The delegation held discussions with the CM about the UK contributing expertise in building a sports ecosystem and infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Gujarat in 2030,” the statement added.The CM also invited the delegation to participate in the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference and the 2027 Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. tnn
