TEHRAN – The seminar on Iran-Africa Trade Opportunities kicked off here yesterday, with high-ranking officials stressing the expansion of bilateral economic ties.

Mas’ud Mirkazemi, the commerce minister, announced that Africa’s exports to Iran show a 165 percent rise during 2001-2007 while its imports from Iran was tripled in the period.
“Our African trade partners are members of Southern African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), and the East African Community (EAC),” said the minister.
The official added his ministry has put top on agenda the signing of mutual preferential agreements with members of African unions, expressing hope the seminar will help accelerate the deals.
Iran’s First Vice President Parviz Davudi, also attending the meet, pointed to Africa’s strategic rich resources and great economic capacities.
Touching on Africa’s 5.3 percent economic rise, 10 percent inflation rate, overseas trade increase, and gross domestic product (GDP), he expressed hope Iran can give a hand to speed up the black continent’s development.
Putting current Iran-Africa annual trade volume at $600 million, Davudi said the figure shows a 60 percent rise when compared to the figure of last year.
Also delivering speech, Manuchehr Mottaki, the foreign affairs minister, voiced the eagerness of 9th government under President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to boost ties with African nations.
Mehdi Ghazanfari, Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) head, for his part, called Africa the main trade partner of his country in production and exports sectors, saying Iran is keen to reinforce its relations with the South-South Corridor nations.
Ghazanfari, also the deputy commerce minister, underlined the necessity of getting familiar with each other’s potentials in fields of business, industry, and services.
Referring to the importance of the countries’ regional and international positions, trade volume, and active joint commissions, he said the aim behind the confab is to promote bilateral political and economic relations and create new opportunities for the nations.
The seminar was attended by 10 African nations including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, South Africa, Senegal, Chad, Libya, Morocco, and Kenya.
Partaking in the seminar, Mohammad Nahavandian, Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Mines (ICCIM) head, called for government’s support to remove the obstacles in the way of private sector’s presence in African markets.
The seminar on Iran-Africa Trade Opportunities will organize four expertise sessions in the presence of representatives of state-run and private sectors to provide them with an opportunity to augment their professional knowledge in this regard.
Carpets, clothing, natural gas, tiles, ceramics, cars, construction materials, spare parts and phosphate constituted Iran’s export-bound commodities in the previous year (ended March 20, 2007).