Story by Abigiri Tembo
VICE President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga has met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the ongoing Iran-Africa International Economic Conference in Tehran, with discussions focusing on deepening cooperation between the two countries.
The second Iran-Africa International Economic Conference kicked off in Tehran, Iran, this Friday, with focus on boosting trade, exploring investment possibilities and fostering collaboration across various sectors.
Over 40 African nations sent representatives to the conference which was officially opened by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
In his opening address, President Raisi highlighted Iran’s interest in sharing its technological expertise with African countries.
Soon after the official opening, President Raisi met with Vice President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga who is leading the Zimbabwean delegation to the conference.
Emerging from the closed-door meeting, Vice President Chiwenga emphasised on the potential for Iran’s growing business sector to benefit both parties.
“First was to congratulate him for having the Iran-Africa International Economic Conference as this is going to help Africa and Iran, and this is the thrust we would want to see happening. Iran has moved a step ahead and their cooperation with the African continent which has 1.3 billion people will bring in a lot of economic impetus to the two parties that is the African continent and Iran itself. We want to see cooperation, and we are the builders of our own countries, that is the thrust.”
Vice President Chiwenga also noted the need to follow up on the 12 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed during Iranian President Raisīs visit to Zimbabwe last year.
“We are following the 12 MoUs which were signed, and in our delegation, we have the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education because we will be advancing a lot in the area of research, education, innovation, scholarships in various areas. So, there is a lot of cooperation in that area, remember, everything we are talking about begins with education.
“We are also looking into the areas of Information Communication Technology, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and all these areas are the areas we are looking at between Iran and Zimbabwe and we are going to pursue all those 12 MoUs that were signed last year when President Raisi paid a State Visit to Zimbabwe.”
The discussions between Vice President Chiwenga and President Raisi are key towards enhancing economic ties between Zimbabwe and Iran, with the conference presenting a significant opportunity for African participants to forge new economic partnerships.