Niger welcomes imports of Iranian mineral products: envoy

TEHRAN – Niger’s Ambassador to Iran Seydou Zetau Ali said his country welcomes imports of mineral and mining industry products from Iran and is keen for the Islamic Republic to play a concrete role in Niger’s mining sector.

In a meeting on Monday with Mohammad Aghajani, Iran’s deputy industry minister and head of the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), Ali expressed hope that a cooperation agreement between the two countries would be finalized swiftly, avoiding bureaucratic delays.

He invited the IMIDRO chief to visit Niger to explore mining opportunities firsthand and said he hoped a memorandum of understanding would be signed during an upcoming visit to Iran by Niger’s minister of mines. The ambassador also highlighted the importance of developing trade logistics, including shipping and transportation links.

Aghajani said Iran views Africa as a strategic partner in mining and emphasized Iran’s readiness to export mineral chain products and engineering know-how to Niger. He noted that Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade and IMIDRO are focused on unlocking Iran’s full potential in this sector through international cooperation.

He added that in the first phase of cooperation, IMIDRO plans to expand exports of mineral products and engineering expertise to Niger, subject to legal and procedural requirements.

Several IMIDRO officials, including Somayeh Kholousi, head of planning and capacity-building for mines, Omid Emami, head of mining development projects, and Amir-Nojan Younesian, director of investment and economic development, also presented Iran’s capabilities during the session.

Iran exported around $14 billion worth of mineral and mining industry products last year. However, African countries currently represent a small share of that market. Iran has around 7,000 active mines, producing 600 million tons of minerals annually, which are a backbone of domestic production and employment.

EF/MA