MojNews-Senegal has expressed its willingness to expand cooperation with Iran in mining sector. 

Senegal’s Ambassador to Tehran Saliou Niang Dieng has called for cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran in the mining sector.

In a meeting with Fazlollah Heydari Farzan, director of International Affairs at Iran's Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), the Senegalese official said: “A new agreement could be signed between the two countries to jointly operate an iron ore mine in Senegal.”

“I will personally make the necessary arrangements for the exchange of this agreement,” the envoy stressed.

The Iranian side for his part expressed the country’s interest in expanding mining cooperation with African states, saying: “This meeting is held to follow up on the agreements reached during the fifth joint committee between Iran and Senegal (held last November in Dakar) and its purpose is to update the mentioned understandings and agreements and also to examine the capacity of new cooperation in the field of mining between the two countries.”

According to Farzan, Iran can provide Senegalese engineers with educational courses on various issues including geology, exploration, and mineral production processes.

Iran is also interested in exploiting iron ore mines in Senegal, in addition to participation in the production of cement, phosphate fertilizer, etc., the official added.

Referring to the interest of the Senegalese government in establishing a technical and engineering company in the mining sector with IMIDRO, he said: “Inviting the Minister of Mines and Energy of Senegal to conduct bilateral negotiations can be an effective step in this regard.”