A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Iranian Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Iran–East Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce, aimed at leveraging shared capacities and expanding bilateral cooperation, was signed on 22 December 2025 by Mohammad Khazaee, Secretary General of the ICC Iran Committee, and Masoud Barhaman, Chairman of the Board of the Iran–East Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce.

Proposals by the Secretary General of the ICC Iran Committee

Prior to the signing of the MoU, Mohammad Khazaee emphasized the need for a strategic approach toward the African continent and outlined a set of proposals and areas for cooperation, the most important of which included:

• Developing economic activities in Africa through the Joint Chamber and leveraging the capacities of the ICC Iran Committee and the Iran Chamber of Commerce
• Drafting a strategic document and roadmap for the Iran–East Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce
• Utilizing the capacities and support of the Economic Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Africa Task Force
• Benefiting from the cooperation potential of African member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through targeted consultations
• Emphasizing the vast opportunities available in Africa and the need for a more active Iranian presence in markets currently dominated by other countries
• Utilizing the capacity of the 50 African countries that are members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
• Strengthening simultaneous economic and political diplomacy
• Leveraging the capacity of the NAM Troika
• Collecting documentation and proposals to prepare a draft roadmap and submitting it to the Strategic Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Stressing the need for fundamental and strategic actions at the global level and avoiding an exclusive focus on exhibitions
• Reporting activities and measures undertaken to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and benefiting from the capacities of this global institution
• Inviting the Iran–East Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce to attend the upcoming meeting of the ICC Iran Committee with the participation of chamber liaison representatives
• Inviting former Iranian ambassadors to African countries to benefit from their views and experiences

Report by the Chairman of the Board of the Iran–East Africa Joint Chamber of Commerce

During the meeting, Masoud Barhaman presented a report on the actions taken and relevant proposals as follows:

• Continuous and targeted efforts to develop economic relations between Iran and African countries
• An increase in Iran’s exports to Africa over the past three years from USD 600 million to approximately USD 1.3 billion
• Active cooperation with export-oriented knowledge-based institutions and follow-up on the capacities of exporting companies
• Introducing and explaining the vast potential of the African continent for export development and economic cooperation
• A 6% growth in exports to Africa during the first five months of the current year
• Drafting a roadmap and a two-year plan and presenting it to the 170 members of the Joint Chamber
• Proposing the utilization of the Africa–BRICS–Kish triangle for investment
• Conducting economic exchanges with African countries through barter of precious metals within the BRICS framework
• Utilizing the cooperation capacity among Shanghai Cooperation Organization members, Africa, and Iran to enhance economic development
• Presenting a strategic executive plan based on the main areas of joint cooperation