Hours after returning from a business trip in Africa, Wichita city leaders are back in the grind.
Mayor Carl Brewer said the 19-day trip was filled with plenty of business meetings and even some press appearances. One thing he couldn’t escape was the attention to the Ebola virus.
“Buildings that you went to, any places of businesses, any markets, anything of that nature. Even city hall had signs posted,” he said.
Part of the trip was in the country of Ghana in west Africa. Though it’s easy to associate “west Africa” with the virus, Brewer said they were hours away from the virus. In fact, his group heard of the latest case in Dallas while they were away.
“Texas is closer to Wichita than Liberia was to where we were at,” he said.
The group included area business leaders and council woman Lavonta Williams. Brewer and Williams paid for their own expenses — it did not cost the City of Wichita. The group also traveled to South Africa during the visit.
Brewer said the screenings were thorough. However, screenings escalated after a recent threat from ISIS.
“They did a lot of things. They did your retinal scans. They did temperature checks,” he said. “It was just intense. You almost felt like you were in… in basic training. They were yelling at us.”
BUILDING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
The basis of the Africa trip was to promote Wichita business, including agriculture and aviation.
“We definitely know that there are opportunities in Africa,” Williams said. “They are just untapped. I’m very pleased that we as a Wichita group are looking at the possibilities in Africa.”
Brewer hinted at a possible business deal between a Wichita company and one in Africa. He said some countries don’t make deals easily, but by bringing a mayor, it shows commitment.