Story by Abigirl Tembo

Zimbabwe is set to participate at the second edition of the Iran-Africa Economic Conference which kicks off in Tehran, Iran this Friday.

The four-day event, expected to draw representatives from over 40 African nations is part of Iran’s strategy to expand economic ties with the continent.

In an interview with the ZBC News this Thursday, the country’s top envoy to Iran, Ambassador Bright Kupemba confirmed Zimbabwe‘s participation at the economic conference, highlighting Iran’s goal of forging stronger economic partnerships with African nations.

“The Iran-Africa conference is supposed to be held from the 26th of April, a Zimbabwe delegation is to be led by our Honourable Vice President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga, we expect him to arrive tomorrow. The Iran-Africa conference is a brainchild of the Iran leadership, they want to expand their reach in Africa in search of markets but most importantly as a statement that the global south should come together, cooperate and try and neutralise the hegemony of the Western countries. The USA and the EU have been overarching in terms of suppressing the developing countries of the world.

“As developing countries, let’s come together and form a relationship not of conditionalities but of win-win. Iran has done quite a lot in terms of advancements and it wants to share its expertise, tech-driven capacities and development agenda, it wants to share the concepts and philosophies and also point out that even emerging economies can be powerful,”

The conference comes after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s 2023 State Visit to Zimbabwe, where the two countries signed 12 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) in areas which include health and agriculture.

The event is meant to strengthen the agreements while exploring the broader role of developing nations in the global economic and political landscape.