Vast Opportunities for Iran-Africa Cooperation

Date: 30 April 2025 - 21:39

News ID: ۱۳۹۰۶۶

By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

The Third Economic Cooperation Summit of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the African Union hosted in Tehran and Isfahan with the participation of 38 African countries has indeed been a success.

The fact that over 700 traders gathered in Iran and four specialized panels held at the ministerial level in the areas of petrochemicals, mineral and metal industries, agriculture and food industries, and health and medicine, is proof of the seriousness of the two sides to bolster multilateral relations.

The presence of the delegates on Monday at the Iran Expo, the largest trade event in the country, followed by visits to more than 10 industrial centres and factories, is further indication of the growing ties between Iran and the sub-Saharan states, which for the past four-and-a-half decades have been profoundly influenced by the Islamic Revolution.

To the horror of the colonial powers of the West, since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Africa is one of the regions that has gained a special place in Iran’s foreign policy where political, cultural, and economic relations with African countries have been among the priorities.

The Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) was a strong supporter of the African people’s liberation movements, and so is his able successor, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who in his speeches always praises the African people’s history of fight against oppression as well as the rising prominence of the region.

Iran, whose cultural influence on East Africa goes back over a millennium, in addition to its time memorial relations with North Africa, greatly attaches importance to ties with West Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa as well.

This is evident by the Islamic Republic’s firm support for the late Nelson Mandela and the struggles of the people of South Africa against the inhuman apartheid system of the white European minority that ended in the early 1990s.

Since then Tehran and Pretoria have enjoyed excellent relations, especially in view of South Africa’s principled support for the Palestinian people and denunciation of the crimes against humanity of the illegal Zionist entity.

In West Africa, Iran’s economic and cultural presence is vivid in Nigeria and is on the increase in countries that have cast away the yoke of the West’s neo colonialists, such as France and the US.

Niger, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Guinea, and several other countries of the western region have developed vital ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In fact, it is a two-way traffic between Iran and African states, apart from their impressive political and cultural capacities that warrant awareness against the evil designs of Israel and exploitative US.

Several regions of Africa have vast reserves of oil, gas and other natural minerals such as cobalt, gold and diamonds, while the goods and services Iran can offer to African countries have a higher competitive advantage compared to Western countries and even some Eastern competitors.

Iran can also play a role in sustainable development and achieving shared prosperity with African countries through investments in the infrastructure and strategic partnerships.

The current over billion population of the African continent expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, makes it a very good market for exports of Iranian goods and services.