Peter Tanyanyiwa
Zvamaida Murwira in Tehran, IRAN
Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has arrived in Iran to lead a Zimbabwean delegation that is set to participate in the Iran Africa Economic Conference whose objective is to deepen cooperation and consolidate ties between Tehran and African countries.
The VP arrived at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran early this morning and was welcomed by Iranian Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare, Dr Ahmad Meydari; Zimbabwe Ambassador to Iran, Bright Kupemba, senior Iranian Government officials and staff from the Zimbabwean Embassy.
The conference will also coincide with the 7th edition of Iran Expo, where Tehran seeks to showcase its export potential.
VP Chiwenga will have various activities lined up for him, including meetings with senior Iranian government officials, private sector representatives and a tour of some companies.
Zimbabwe’s participation in the week-long conference will give impetus to President Mnangagwa’s economic diplomacy thrust as Zimbabwe seeks to achieve it’s vision of becoming an upper middle income economy by 2030.
In an interview, Ambassador Kupemba said Zimbabwe has a lot to learn from Iran, which has managed to steer it’s economy despite being under the yoke of illegal sanctions from the United States of America, just like Zimbabwe.
Ambassador Kupemba said the 13 Memoranda of Understanding that were signed between President Mnangagwa and the late President Ebrahim Raisi in 2023 are being implemented and are going on well.
“The Iran-Africa Economic Cooperation Conference and Expo is meant to expand and strengthen relations between Iran and Africa. The focus is on investment, trade development and exchange of knowledge.
“It will also give an opportunity for Iran and African business persons to explore current and contemporary trends on business, markets and the global economy.
“The interaction is across all sectors but this year’s major focus will be on agriculture, mining, tourism, health, science and technology,” said Ambassador Kupemba.
“These are the areas we are focussing on as a country as they are the backbone of our economy. We want to learn from lran’s experience. Iran has been under sanctions for the past 45 years but they are doing wonders in all sectors.
They have transitioned from resource-based to knowledge-based development. That is an area Africa, including Zimbabwe, has to take a leaf from.”
He said Zimbabwe stands to reap huge benefits from the conference.
“We will learn how they have mechanised their agriculture. As Zimbabwe, we have embarked on that programme to boost our productivity in the sector.”
Ambassador Kupemba said lran has also seen vast development in the health sector, particularly in cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment, as well as cancer treatment.
He said Iran provides competitive and affordable health services and is keen to partner Zimbabwe in this area.
Iran and Zimbabwe enjoy good bilateral relations and are keen to transform their political ties into economic benefits.
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