A contingent of diplomats and business leaders from a variety of African nations will meet with Delaware legislators and visit agricultural, disease prevention, and environmental industry sites on a tour organized by World Trade Center Delaware.

The group is in the U.S. for the U.S.-Africa Business Summit 2017 in Washington D.C.

According to WTC officials, the African diplomats and business leaders will tour ILC Dover and the University of Delaware’s Lasher Labs today and will lunch at Legislative Hall with the presidents of Delaware State University and Tidewater Utilities, Inc. They will discuss collaborative research and standardization of environmental and food safety regulations.

The first WTC Delaware On the Road Program will provide grants to Delaware companies attending the U.S.-Africa Business Summit from June 13-16.

More than 1,000 officials with purchasing authority from the 54 African countries are expected seek products, services and technological solutions in agriculture, environment energy, transportation, infrastructure, education, IT and health.

This year, the WTC Delaware launched three new programs to help members take advantage of such opportunities, including the WTC Delaware Procurement Partners Program that brings procurement managers from American and international donor agencies to Delaware to train companies on how to find new contracting opportunities, to become registered bidders, and to respond to international tenders.