TEHRAN – Iran’s exports to Africa rose 66 percent in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-December 21, 2025) from a year earlier, driven by stronger trade engagement and policy support, a senior official at the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO) said.

Mohammadreza Safari, director general of the TPO’s Africa office, said Iran’s total trade with 39 African countries reached $940 million over the period, up 66 percent compared with the same period last year, according to a statement released by the organization.

Safari attributed the increase partly to follow-up and implementation of government decisions under Iran’s Africa task force, including efforts to hold the Iran–Africa Economic Cooperation Conference.

He said preliminary steps are under way to organize the next edition of the conference.

He stressed the importance of defining a clear strategy for expanding trade with Africa, noting that China has pursued the continent through foreign direct investment and large-scale infrastructure projects, while Turkey has focused on developing private entrepreneurship via infrastructure investment and industrial networking.

Iran, he said, should pursue a complementary trade and investment strategy aimed at ensuring sustainable supply chains and steady exports of products with strong capacity, in order to strengthen its trade relations with African countries.

Back in December, the head of the Iran–Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce stated that Iran will support investments by Iranian firms in Africa and efforts to expand exports to the continent, with export credit guarantees and development financing expected to underpin trade growth.

Masoud Berahman said the Export Guarantee Fund of Iran (EGFI) would back up to $3.0 billion of Iranian investments across Africa as part of broader efforts to strengthen commercial ties and reduce risks for private-sector investors.

He added that the National Development Fund (NDF) would provide around €2.0 billion to support startup and entrepreneurial projects linked to trade development.

Berahman said Africa, with its large population and broad consumer base, offered significant opportunities for Iranian goods, technical and engineering services and investment, but warned that realizing this potential would require stronger infrastructure, clearer policies and sustained government support.

He criticized the lack of a comprehensive trade roadmap, saying Iran’s export sector continues to face multiple challenges that make it difficult to systematically monitor markets and assess country-specific trade conditions.

Berahman said the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) of Iran, the economic diplomacy department and the Iran Chamber of Commerce should work more closely with the private sector to strengthen digitalization and develop an operational trade roadmap, warning that fragmented approaches risk reinforcing what he described as an “island economy.”

“A shared roadmap is needed to guide our move toward target markets such as Africa,” he said, noting that the continent, with a population of about 1.45 billion, represents a future growth market for both goods and technical services.

He said Iran’s regional trade experience showed that relying mainly on neighboring markets, including Iraq, would not be sufficient to achieve sustainable export growth, calling instead for clear strategies and stronger state backing to diversify trade destinations.

Berahman stressed the need to professionalize export capacity building and move away from short-term, reactive approaches, arguing that a well-designed export roadmap based on detailed market analysis would help Iranian firms enter global markets, particularly in Africa.

He also highlighted the role of commercial attaches in expanding trade ties, noting that Turkey maintains 44 trade counsellors across Africa, compared with only three active Iranian counterparts, and called for greater use of economic diplomacy tools.

“Iran must expand its trade with neighboring countries, Africa and other emerging markets,” Berahman said, adding that coordinated policies and long-term planning would be essential to achieving that goal.

EF/MA