The mayor of Washington, D.C. and other local leaders will head to Cuba this weekend to explore investment opportunities and ways the government can benefit from loosened restrictions with the communist nation.
Mayor Muriel Bowser will be joined by Maryland’s Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones to meet with the mayor of Havana and other Cuban officials. The goal is to broaden U.S. relations with Cuba and create economic benefits for the District, reports The Washington Times.
“From China to Cuba — and everywhere in between — these missions are important because they can create jobs for our residents and improve our local economies,” Bowser said Wednesday in a statement. “I look forward to joining my fellow regional leaders to Cuba as we explore investment opportunities and position ourselves for greater economic success.”
D.C. politicians also plan to offer guidance to Cuban officials on city planning and economic development, particularly now that tourism rates are likely to increase, while trip organizers and the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hope that American officials take the time to learn from the Cuban government, reports The Washington Post.
“The delegation will visit primary and secondary schools and the University of Havana to learn lessons on how literacy, graduation and retention rates, and other educational successes remain consistently high,” the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said in a statement Wednesday. “Delegates will tour research hospitals and local clinics to learn about strategies that achieve high health standards amid a scarcity of resources.”
The expense of the trip is expected to be roughly $44,000. Chamber President Angela Franco is hopeful that it will mark the first step in future economic relations between Cuba and the nation’s capital.
President Barack Obama announced Thursday on Twitter that he will also visit Cuba in March, the first trip by a president in almost 90 years.
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