TEHRAN - The first OPEC international training workshop on engineering and technical service exports opened at the place of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) on Tuesday, with a strong call for expanding Iranian companies’ participation in projects funded by the OPEC Fund for International Development. Iranian officials and business leaders presented this opportunity as a catalyst for enhancing the country’s technical service exports and diversifying its sources of foreign currency revenue.

Iranian officials and business leaders presented this opportunity as a catalyst for enhancing the country’s technical service exports and diversifying its sources of foreign currency revenue.

Ali Naqavi, head of the Construction and Technical Services Committee at Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) emphasized that Iran boasts over 50,000 qualified engineering companies, a capacity unmatched in the region. “If just 20 Iranian companies each carry out three foreign projects annually, the resulting foreign exchange earnings could exceed our current oil exports,” he said.

Naqavi called for closer collaboration between the Iranian Investment Organization and the private sector to unlock this potential.

He noted that the Chamber is working with OPEC to hold two to three training workshops per year to ensure Iranian companies have access to the latest information and international opportunities.

Hossein Keshiri, Iran’s representative to the OPEC Fund, announced that the Fund will finance $3.0 billion worth of infrastructure projects in 2024, covering around 70 initiatives across 60 countries.

He stressed the importance of improving Iranian companies’ access to these projects and overcoming existing barriers to participation.

“We are working to clear the way for Iranian firms to benefit from the Fund’s infrastructure investments next year,” he said.

Mohammad Khazaei, Secretary-General of the Iranian Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), provided a broader context, explaining that the OPEC Fund was launched in 1976 to provide development loans to non-OPEC nations using capital from OPEC member states. “OPEC countries, including Iran, cannot access these funds themselves, but they can participate in the execution of projects the Fund supports,” he noted.

Deputy Economy Minister and head of Iran’s Organization for Investment and Economic and Technical Assistance, Abolfazl Koudei, stressed that engineering service exports are fundamentally different from goods exports. “They rely primarily on human capital and technical expertise,” he said. “That’s why empowering our workforce, especially in the private sector, is crucial—and the government is committed to this.”

He added that workshops like the one held with OPEC are part of this broader empowerment strategy.

EF/MA