Targeting more business and tourism opportunities in Africa, Iran has committed to promoting ties with African countries. With restrictions in place from the Western world Iran describes the African continent as the “Land of Opportunities”.
Iranian sees economic strengths and human resources in Africa. Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had rated Africa as the rich continent and best for investments for the Islamic Republic of Iran. This was released after the President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi visited Africa.
President Raisi concluded his three-day tour of Africa where he visited Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe last week. The trip marked the first visit by an Iranian president to the African continent in more than 12 years. In 2010 former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Uganda and other African countries.
Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Africa is the world’s largest continent after Asia and enjoys a special global political and economic significance in various aspects. While in Kenya, Raisi witnessed the signing of new agreements in agriculture, livestock, culture and heritage, information, ICT, fisheries, housing, and urban and metropolitan development with the Kenyan government.
Raisi said his talks with Kenyan President William Ruto have reflected the expansion of economic and trade cooperation, political and cultural cooperation. Ruto described Iran as “a critical strategic partner” and said the two sides had signed five memoranda of understanding covering information technology, investment, fisheries, and other areas.
In Uganda, President Raisi held meetings with President Yoweri Museveni, business representatives, and economic officials from both Iran and Uganda. The Iranian government’s policy of economic multilateralism targets to enhance Iran’s presence in the US dollars 600 billion in the African economy.
President Museveni said that Uganda has got a lot of production of goods which Iran might be interested in and the two countries can exchange them in barter trade without going through the American dollar. The Iranian president had concluded his African tour in Zimbabwe after holding bilateral talks with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The Iranian Foreign Affairs minister added that Africa remains rich in agriculture in its central and western parts and huge petroleum and mineral resources in the northern and eastern parts of Africa. Other economic potentials available in Africa that Iran is eyeing are the industrial potentials in southern Africa which have turned the continent into one of the world’s most lucrative economic zones.
He said that Africa remains the world’s most attractive tourism area, making the continent the best among the world’s tourism poles. The next destination in the near future of President Raisi’s tour in Africa will be South Africa, said Mr. Abdollahian.
Relations between Iran and East Africa depict the impact and civilization of the Shirazi or Persian people from Iran on the East African coast.
