The first symposium on new investment opportunities and new businesses between Iran and the African continent

Tootoonchi, while saluting Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family and peace be upon him) and celebrating the victory days of the Islamic Revolution, welcomed the guests and the audience at the first symposium on new investment opportunities and new businesses between Iran and the continent. He also expressed hope for the entry of Iranian businessmen to the African continent.

He continued that he did not consider Iran’s trade balance with Africa to be proportionate to the capabilities of Iranians and the active African market, and referring to the quotes of the Supreme Leader (Salmaullah) who said: Sanctions have an effect on international relations and the enlargement of governments hinders their progress and they stated that this has caused the private sector to be marginalized.

In the continuation of his speech, he pointed out that if the private sector enters the field of international trade with all its strength, sanctions will not affect the will of the nation in any way. He also emphasized that we have a noticeable and valuable presence in the line of resistance against the sanctions and we supply the products we need despite the sanctions. They called the relationship between businessmen and the people a chain relationship, which they considered to reduce the economic and political pressures from the people and also from the government.

The head of the Iran-Africa Symposium further emphasized that the private sector should not wait for the government to work. He also added that our governments, with the exception of Mr. Raisi’s government, have not been able to do more than this. He added that the previous governments, instead of strategically looking at Africa, looked at the West and Europe, which was not very useful for us. And the neglect and lack of recognition of the strategic African market has caused that only one general office is dedicated to Arab and African countries, is this enough?!

He further demanded the establishment of trade laws in the nation’s house and said that our trade balance with the African continent is 600 million dollars last year, which has increased by 200 million dollars in the last ten months. If we have the ability to exchange 2 billion dollars a year and African countries are eager to cooperate, but unfortunately, our officials do not have this enthusiasm and have only talked and not acted. Tootoonchi further added: “Economy should cast a shadow on politics, not that politics should influence the economy.” At the end of his speech, he introduced the African market as a potential market for Iranian goods, and Iranians should take advantage of this golden opportunity.

At the beginning, while welcoming and congratulating the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Hosseini stated that we should learn business from our enemies in some areas and investigate why African countries are of interest to Israel and America.

He further pointed out that the Israeli authorities are thinking that if one day Israel disappears, which will happen soon, God willing, where should we move? One of the candidates they considered before occupying Palestine is one of the African countries, which we should consider the necessary measures according to the enemy’s goal in this continent.

In the continuation of the ceremony and his talks, he explained and shared his experiences in the African continent.

At the beginning of his speech, Movahdi Far said: With the beginning of the work of the 13th government, two policies were announced in relation to the country’s foreign policy, with the implementation of which we can witness a new era of relations between Iran and the African continent The first policy of the government has a general aspect, the approach of economic diplomacy in foreign policy, and the second policy, which is specific to Africa, is to focus on Africa, focusing on economic and commercial cooperation. And the Islamic Republic of Iran has put communication and expansion of relations with African countries in its foreign policy program since its formation.

Movahdi introduced what makes the new period significantly different from the previous periods in terms of content in three words:

Reform in attitude 2- Continuity in policies 3- Changing approach towards Africa

Movahdi stated: The approach of the 13th government is to pay attention to economic diplomacy in pursuit of foreign policy goals in the direction of the country’s interests. The new strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the development of economic and trade relations with the African continent in the new era focuses on several chapters:

1. Supporting and encouraging the private sector and providing the opportunity to remove obstacles and provide facilities for them
2. Implementation of extraterritorial cultivation and other agricultural projects with the presence of Iranians in several African coastal countries
3. Supplying mineral raw materials needed by the country’s industries from Africa with the participation of Iranian parties through mining acquisition and…
4. Establishing an active and regular shipping line between the ports of our country and African ports to transport Iranian products and goods to that continent and import minerals and other manufactured products of the African continent.
5. Launching passenger and cargo airlines
6. Helping respected African embassies and ambassadors in Tehran in economic and commercial matters
7. Creating a suitable mechanism for financial brokerage and money transfer between Iran and African countries in the conditions of continued sanctions
8. Establishment of advisory and support working groups in 4 geographical regions of Africa
9. Reviving the policy of holding commercial exhibitions and participating in international exhibitions

Khumalo first spoke about the economy, business, and also made important points about the nine provinces of South Africa that are suitable for business and investment. He further added that Iranian goods are currently selling in South African stores. But due to the lack of a direct transportation line between Iran and South Africa, it is transported to Africa through a long and complicated way, and having a direct line can greatly help the expansion of trade between Iran and the African continent. He further added that Iran is the largest producer of LPG and he is negotiating with Iran and hopes for this cooperation. They also called the food and agricultural products sector another opportunity for trade relations, and in addition to the Iranian speakers, he said that Iran’s trade balance with the African continent in these areas is very low. He stated that there are Iranian products with foreign brands in South Africa, which means that the goods are not directly imported. The South African ambassador completed his speech with an explanation about South Africa.

Speech of Hojjat al-Islam Javadi

CEO of Nations Credit Institution

At the beginning, Javadi blessed Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and celebrated the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution. And further, he called on investing in the international arena and establishing economic relations with the countries of the world as the way to save the country from the current economic situation. He also considered it important to pay attention to the field of treatment and medicine, and at the end of his speech as the director of the Financial and Credit Institution of Nations, he added: We have no problem with financial exchanges with African countries and our banking system is capable. To support investors who operate in African countries with the permission of the Iranian government.

Mr. Suleiman Sentorki’s speech

Ambassador of the Republic of Nigeria in Tehran

In the introduction, the ambassador of Nigeria talked about the investment opportunities, emphasizing the increase in business relations and also about the problems of transporting goods between Nigeria and Iran. He also mentioned the meeting between the foreign ministers of Nigeria and Iran in New York and expressed hope for cooperation between the two sides. He proposed the topic of extraterritorial cultivation in Nigeria, considering the suitable environment for agriculture in the African continent. And in his final speech, he added: Iran and Nigeria can cooperate in the production of gas and oil, we have electricity problems, but we have a lot of gas and oil, so we need people who can invest in the electricity sector.

Captain Shirazi’s speech

CEO of Fly Qeshm Company

Shirazi considered not having a direct flight line as one of the biggest problems in the lack of economic development and growth between Iran and the African continent. He also considered the country of Iran to be in the best area of Souq Al-Jishi in the world in terms of air communications, and called the sanctions on the aviation industry and the lack of up-to-date long-range strategic aircraft among the country’s problems. He added: The existence of about 50 large international airports is one of the positive aspects of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which ranks Iran among the top 10 airports in the world.

The advantage of expanding the aviation routes between Iran and the African continent: the presence of holy places in Iran for the visitors of the African continent (due to the presence of about 30 million Shias in Africa), and a suitable platform for treatment and medical services in Iran. It can boost the medical tourism industry, as well as the offer of 15 million dollars for the purchase of 3 Airbus 340 airplanes, which have the ability to transport both passengers and cargo. and its investment amount is returned in 8 months, which is one of the points that can express the necessity of establishing a direct line between Iran and the African continent.

Tourism panel

The tourism panel started with the talks of Mr. Dr. Mismizadeh, a university professor, about the importance of the tourism industry in the world and that different countries are looking for 100% use of this industry. And Iran is one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of tourist attractions, which is a suitable platform for the tourism industry.

Dr. Abdul Maliki’s speech

Chairman of the Tourism Commission of the Chamber of Commerce

Giving details about the Iran Chamber, which is the advisor and arm of the three executive branches of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Abdul Maleki added that this chamber has 18 commissions. And the tourism commission has 14 committees and all these committees are working as much as a deputy of the Ministry of Home Affairs. He further explained the high role of Africa in the prosperity of Iran’s tourism industry, which is as follows:

The population of the African continent is 1.5 billion people, and in terms of tourism, there has been no recognition from the two sides, and this ceremony is the beginning to fully understand and exploit the tourism industry of Iran and the African continent. And I thank Al-Fajr private business group and I am eager for executive programs in all tourism discussions and I declare my readiness and support in the field of tourism industry.

In the continuation of the ceremony, Mr. Dr. Rezvani Far, active in the field of medical and health tourism, added that Iran has many capacities in the field of health tourism. The important point is that the cost of treatment in Iran is very low compared to European countries, and he considered medical tourism to be the cause of unity, integration, welfare of the people, and the main thing is to help the economy of our country.

Mr. Dr. Asilian

University professor and former vice president of environmental organization

At the beginning of his speech, Asilian gave special thanks to the chairman of Al-Fajr Business Group, Tootoonchi, who created this important and big event for the first time in the country. Then he called the dust industry an odorless industry. And then he gave explanations about the statistics of global income in the field of tourism, which in 2010 was equal to 6% of GDP and 30% of service income at the international level, which can bring the most income to the country after the automobile industry and oil.

Dr. Siamak Saber’s speech

Secretary of the Medical Department of Al-Fajr International Group and a member of the European Society of Genetics

Saber, who has a history of fifteen years of international activity in the field of medicine, said that despite the problems and sanctions, Iran has achieved remarkable successes in the field of medicine, which can be mentioned in the manufacture of herbal medicines, chemotherapy and biotechnology and vaccines that are registered in the name of Iran in the world. He further added that Iran, having more than 800 types of medicinal plants, has the ability to make traditional medicines. To all domestic patients and foreign patients who go abroad from Iran for treatment. He said: We have the ability to not only prevent domestic patients from going abroad by providing quality services, but we can also accept foreign patients. Among the common diseases in African countries are skin diseases and this can help the business of biotechnology and medical tourism.

He considered the low cost of treatment, along with receiving favorable services, as a strong point for health tourists to enter the country.

Dr. Mohibi Nazar’s speech

Vice President of International Business, Tadbir Economic Group, Farman Imam (RA) Executive Headquarters

Mohibi Nazar started his speech with a sentence from Nelson Mandela: ” A Winner is a Dreamer Who Never Gives Up “, which, for example, is the self-belief of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Then, referring to the emerging markets and the presence of major world powers in Africa, he considered this continent as a continent of opportunities and has the right capacity for the development of Iran’s trade. Next, by stating the end of apartheid or racial discrimination that took place at the end of the third millennium. He said: We hope to witness the end of discrimination in all fields, especially economic, science and technology. And in the same way, we were deprived of access to the databases for the production of the Iranian Barakat vaccine, which was available to other countries.

He further said: Currently, 50% of the world’s people have not received a vaccine, most of whom are people from the African continent. According to international experts, “we cannot have a safe island in a turbulent sea”, in this case, even if a tribe in Africa has not received a vaccine. The country of Iran will not be safe either, so Africa needs us and needs our help, and this is an opportunity for Iran to be able to do business in this area, considering the readiness of our dear country to transfer vaccines and medicines. Referring to the high position of Africa in 2050, which is an important position, he considered the continuous presence of Iranians as a cause of growth in every field for both sides.

The speech of Dr. Ghorbani Faraz

Former adviser of Iranian trade in Algeria and Tunisia

European Union trade affairs officer and coordinator of the affairs of the International Trade Center in ITPO

Ghorbani Faraz Bazar considered the target of most of the prominent businessmen in the world to be the African market and gave explanations regarding this continent that in the first stage, businessmen should choose their target countries. and to identify the required capacities of that country and further called Africa the capital center of the world. He divided Africa into two parts, northern and sub-Saharan, African countries in the west are under the colonial rule of France and in the east under the colonial rule of Britain, and he invited the audience to gain knowledge in the field of African trade.

Mr. Seyed Raed Mousavi

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Trade Exchange Development Corporation

Mousavi stated that one of the problems of African countries with Iranian products is the lack of service provided by Iran2Africa after sales and non-response to requests. By introducing the platform, it contains more than 2500 Iranian goods and 3 B to B is an Arabic, English and French language site, he provided explanations for buying and selling on this site and further added that: Now 3 companies have been registered in West and East Africa that can provide the services needed by consumers. And in the end, he discussed the points about holding an in-person exhibition in African countries, which will lead to the presentation and sale of goods in the next phase.

Women’s economic capabilities panel

Mrs. Dr. Majdani

Sociologist and entrepreneur

Majdani stated that Al-Fajr Business Group has created the first business and business development symposium for women. And thanking the head of this group, he asked high-ranking African officials and the African Women’s Forum to cooperate with Iranian women in the field of business. According to her, in spite of the slogans that many institutions raised to support Iranian women, they did not act on any of them. She said: African women definitely have these problems and uncertainties and invited all the women of the country who are engaged in trade and export to cooperate.

Mrs. Dr. Alami

Entrepreneur and industrialist

Alami first stated that women appeared later in the field of work and politics, and wherever men and women worked together, women definitely made more efforts. She pointed out that in our society, very successful women in various social, sports, and aerospace fields are Nobel prize winners. But this number can increase and women can achieve significant progress with effort and effort, and added that it is a wrong way of thinking that some people think that women occupy the place of men by working in the community. In the end, she invited all the women of African countries and their high-ranking officials to cooperate in all business fields.