TEHRAN – A joint working group has been formed by Iran and Nigeria with the aim of broadening ties in the fields of science and technology.

The decision to set up the working group was made during a meeting between the Iranian deputy science minister, Hasham Dadashpour, and the Nigerian ambassador to Tehran, Yakubu Santuraki Suleiman, IRNA reported.

In fact, the field of science and technology is very important, and since Iran has developed in the field of science and technology, Nigeria is very interested in benefiting from the capabilities of Iran, the Nigerian official said.

“We hope that the bilateral relations will increase in the fields of science and technology and that durable relations between the two countries will be established.”

The Iranian official, for his part, said thanks to existing capacities, Iran and Nigeria have a good opportunity to develop their scientific cooperation and help each other.

Nigeria is considered one of the important countries in Africa. So, the Ministry of Science has decided to expand its cooperation with Nigeria in the fields related to science and technology, Dadashpour added.

Iran is planning to attract 250,000 international students and become a global hub, he said, adding: “In order to achieve the goal, we will organize workshops and exhibitions in addition to sending various delegations to other countries.”

Students are the best ambassadors for the transfer of science, knowledge, and technology, and they can create unique opportunities for the future of the two countries, he highlighted.

“In order to benefit from the capacities of the two countries, it is necessary to sketch a roadmap, and forming a joint working group is of particular importance.”

Houses of innovation and technology

In 2021, Iran inaugurated its first house of innovation and technology (IHIT) in Africa in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

The center serves as a base for the creation of innovative ideas, the commercialization of these ideas, and the export of Iranian knowledge-based products and services to the East African market.

The IHIT, by supporting innovative ideas, and holding technological and innovative events will be a platform for the development and promotion of Iranian knowledge-based companies, startups, and creative industries.

Trade with Africa

Aiming to develop trade with Africa, Iran has opened eight trade centers in the countries of the continent.

“A network of eight business centers have been activated across Africa to provide a wide range of services to manufacturing and exporting companies that have a presence in the African market,” Mohammad-Sadeq Qanadzadeh, an official with Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), has said.

These centers are located in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria, and South Africa, and this network will be further expanded and completed by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20).

In June last year, TPO Head Alireza Peyman-Pak said the country is taking the necessary steps to increase annual trade exchanges with African countries to $5 billion by the Iranian calendar year 1404 (March 2025-March 2026).

Peyman-Pak said the trade with the mentioned countries is expected to reach $2.5 billion by the end of the current Iranian calendar year.

MG