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Monday 4th September 2023

It is with great pleasure that I report on the meeting that took place on September 4th, 2023, between His Excellency Ambassador Samad Ali Lakizadeh, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Ethiopia, and the Permanent Representative to the African Union and a delegation from CAFOR. The delegation consisted of myself, Dr. Lawalley Cole, the Executive Director of CAFOR, Mr. Tshimanga Mukadi-Mutoke, CAFOR’s Senior Advisor for Partnerships and Resource Mobilization, and Dr. Tsedey Shume, the Special Assistant to the Executive Director of CAFOR. Mr. Mohammad Ali Shamsipour, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Iran, was also present.

During the meeting, we discussed CAFOR’s role as a non-profit membership organization that supports the African Union’s efforts to promote education, science, and technology on the African continent. We highlighted CAFOR’s commitment to bringing education policies to the grassroots level in Africa in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, CESA 16-25, STISA 2024, TVET Strategy, and other policies related to youth development on the continent.

Additionally, we emphasized our willingness to establish strategic cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran in science, technology, innovation, education, training, and scholarships. As CAFOR is committed to digitalizing education in Africa, we discussed exploring ways to cooperate in that area.

I also explained to Ambassador Lakizadeh that CAFOR has recently opened two regional offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, with plans to establish others in Nairobi, Kenya, Abuja, Nigeria, Rabat, Morocco, Lilongwe, Malawi, and the United States of America for the African Diaspora. CAFOR is also working closely with partners such as UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), UNICEF, the ACBF – the African Capacity Building Foundation, and ATUPA – the Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa, as well as universities and other institutions of higher learning in some African and European countries.

Ambassador Lakizadeh expressed his delight at meeting the CAFOR delegation for the first time and noted that Iran has longstanding ties to the African continent. He highlighted the close geographical and historical relations between the peoples of Iran and Africa, with migrations from Iran to places like Zanzibar over thousands of years. The Ambassador further expounded on Iran’s relationship with Africa, including its membership in the Non-Aligned Movement, which resulted in longstanding ties alongside African countries against colonialism. Iran also supported the establishment of the OAU and obtained observer status. The Ambassador noted that following the 1979 Revolution, Iran encountered considerable pressure with international sanctions, but the country survived and progressed in sciences, particularly in high technology, cyber technology, medicine, biosciences, and space. The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to provide scholarships to African students in medical sciences and related programs, and it offered domestically made vaccines to some African countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ambassador Lakizadeh highlighted Iran’s good relationship with the African Union, with observer status, and its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the African Union’s Political Affairs, Peace, and Security (PAPS) Department. Iran also has an MOU with the Ethiopian Space Science Department, with which it organizes an annual exhibition related to science and technology combined with a commercial Expo that offers broader ideas for knowledge exchange opportunities and support.

In conclusion, Ambassador Lakizadeh expressed Iran’s willingness to collaborate with CAFOR in any mutual interest and benefit areas, underscoring the immense opportunities that Iran could offer in entering into a working relationship with CAFOR. He also expressed his readiness to facilitate interaction between CAFOR and relevant Iranian institutions to define mutual interest areas collectively. Finally, he encouraged South-South Cooperation and recommended that CAFOR work closely with the newly established South-South Organization of Education Cooperation (SOEC) aimed at technological innovation and digital enhancement.