Turner: 'This trip demonstrates our dedication to strengthening links between Houston and Africa'

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner recently concluded a three-country trade trip to West Africa, where he visited Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana from July 17 to July 25. It was his second official visit to Africa since his visit to South Africa in 2016.

Sylvester called Houston "the most diverse city in the nation" that "treasures its international connections and the knowledge and expertise they bring into our community" in a July 17 press release announcing the trip. "This trip demonstrates our dedication to strengthening links between Houston and Africa."

Turner led a coalition of Houston-area politicians and community and business leaders on the trade mission, according to the release. Members of the group included Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Martha Castex Tatum, City Councilmembers Tiffany Thomas and Karla Cisneros, and representatives of Texas Medical Center, Chevron, Haliburton, Port Houston, East End Maker Hub and the Ghana-Houston Chamber of Commerce, according to the news release. 

"Nigeria's position as an energy powerhouse aligns perfectly with Houston as the energy capital of the world," Sylvester said in the release. "We share many synergies, which is why we have corporations like Chevron and Haliburton joining us."

Ghana's Energy Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh encouraged the delegation to see Africa's "growing population with a lot of youthful, trainable persons" as an "opportunity" for the U.S. to make significant investments in the continent to help the continent overcome its economic challenges, GhanaWeb reported July 24. 

“Historically, the United States has played key roles in investing infrastructure and technology, in places like post-war Japan and Germany," Opoku Prempeh said in the news report. "On the back of this, I expressed the fact that as a continent with huge mineral wealth and a youthful, growing population that is trainable and willing to work, Africa can and should benefit from the sort of investment from places like the USA that can help lift her out of the doldrums."

The U.S. Embassy Ghana posted its support of the visit to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Two-way trade in goods between the U.S. and Ghana totaled $3.7 billion last year," the embassy tweeted July 24. "Cities and states play a big role in making these business connections. Akwaaba @houmayor Sylvester Turner!”

Turner posted an interview given during his visit to X on July 24, writing "Traveled to Accra, Ghana, the last stop of the Africa Trade and Investment Mission. Part 2 of #MyWeek coming soon! #HoustontoAfrica #buildingmeaningfulpartnerships"