Nigeria, Iran strengthen relations on mining sector

THE Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Honourable Abubakar Bawa Bwari, on Wednesday, expressed Federal Government’s readiness in strengthening trade relations with Iran, especially in the mining sector.

He made this known when he received in audience the Iranian Ambassador, Mr Morteza Rahimi Zarchi, who paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry.

While expressing appreciation for the visit, the minister recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari was in Iran recently to reinforce the trade relations between the two countries.

Honourable Bwari said that the two countries share a lot in common as members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), in diversification of their economies due to the global fall in oil prices and in mining.

He added that Iran, in terms of mining, technology could impart Nigeria positively, noting that Iran was advanced in coal to power and mining exploration, which Nigeria could benefit from.

Earlier, Ambassador Zarchi stressed that Nigeria and Iran were both exploring other sources of revenue by diversifying the economy in mining and agriculture and the Iranian investors were interested in partnering with Nigeria in the mining sector.

He, however, revealed that in furtherance to the trade cooperation, he had visited Niger State, which he confessed was blessed with mineral resources, saying that there was need to involve the private sector in the expansion of the economic cooperation of the two countries.