New partnership forming between Iran, Sahel region of Africa
In epoch of geopolitical transition
By Esmaeil Razaghi
Expert in international relations
The recent trip of the assistant to Iran’s minister of Foreign Affairs and director-general for the Department of Africa to Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso may be regarded as a consequential development in imparting greater dynamism to our nation’s African diplomacy.
In this trip, not only was the official message of the country’s minister of Foreign Affairs separately conveyed to the foreign ministers of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, but it was also viewed as illustrative of Iran’s new foreign-policy approach toward Africa, in general, and toward the Sahel region, in particular.
The Sahel, today, has metamorphosed into one of the pivotal loci of geopolitical transformations. The aforementioned three states, as some of the significant and influential countries in the Sahel region, have, in recent years, through the adoption of an independence-seeking disposition and through emphasis upon a departure from the previous axis, which may be interpreted as an order of dependence, attracted the attention of many regional and global actors. They have done so by instituting a new paradigm of governance predicated upon sovereignty, preservation of territorial integrity, and diversification of their bilateral, multilateral, and international collaborations with other states. In such an atmosphere, Iran’s proactive entry into this region indicates Tehran’s attentiveness to Africa’s emergent transformations and to new opportunities for South–South cooperation.
The principal message of this trip may be encapsulated in a single proposition: Iran desires the development of egalitarian, equilibrated, unconditional, non-interventionist relations grounded in shared interests with the states of the Sahel region. This approach, which stands in contradistinction to the historical patterns of domination and foreign influence in the Sahel, possesses particular significance for the new governments of these states.
In the meetings with the foreign ministers of the Sahel states, the message of friendship and the formal invitation of Iran’s foreign minister were presented, and, simultaneously, Tehran’s support for these states’ independent and anti-colonial orientation and for the deliberate efforts of the statesmen of these three countries to establish and develop an alliance among themselves under the title of the Alliance of Sahel States was emphasized. The affirmative response of the government of Niger, especially in view of that state’s independent vote in the International Atomic Energy Agency, demonstrated that Iran’s respect-centered approach in West Africa has been met with receptivity.
From politics to economics: real priorities of Sahel states
Although the trip of the director-general for the Ministry’s Department of Africa possessed a political character, the substance of the discussions was, to a significant extent, economic and development-oriented. The Sahel states confront grave challenges in two domains: first, food security and agricultural development; second, the scarcity of infrastructural systems in health, pharmaceuticals, energy, and technical training. Iran’s capacities correspond precisely to these exigencies. Iranian knowledge-based enterprises in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, water systems, and low-cost energy can play a consequential role in ameliorating conditions in these states. For this reason, in the discussions conducted, preliminary concord was achieved on several axes:
• cooperation in agriculture and food security;
• utilization of Iranian technologies in power supply, water purification, and solar energy;
• participation in health and pharmaceuticals;
• and examination of new transit corridors for connecting West Africa to the Persian Gulf and West Asia.
If these axes enter an executive phase, they may elevate the relations between Iran and the Sahel states from a political level to a level of structural and enduring cooperation.
New trajectory in Iran’s African diplomacy
A significant portion of the importance of this trip resides in its future-oriented outcomes. All three foreign ministers of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have welcomed Iran’s official invitation, and it is expected that in the coming months, we shall witness their reciprocal trips to Tehran. These political exchanges will not only culminate in the signing of cooperation documents but will also facilitate the entry of technical delegations and private-sector actors from both sides. Through its active engagement with the Sahel region, Iran is in the process of shaping a “new African depth” in its foreign policy; a depth that is founded not upon intervention, dependency, or the fierce rivalries of major powers, but upon authentic cooperation, the transfer of practical technologies, and respect for the sovereignty of nations.
Why is Sahel important for Iran?
Three fundamental reasons exist:
• Political transformation in the Sahel: The member states of the Sahel Alliance, inclusive of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, have redefined their foreign-policy orientation, and this has created an appropriate space for cooperation and engagement with other independent non-Western actors.
• Specific developmental needs: Domains such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and low-cost energy correspond entirely with Iran’s capabilities.
• New geopolitical competition: The entry of independent actors into the Sahel region indicates the existence of political, economic, agricultural, and industrial capacities in this region, which may constitute a suitable and alluring arena for engagement by other independent actors, including our nation.
The recent trip of the assistant to Iran’s minister of Foreign Affairs to Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso is assessed as another consequential step in invigorating the African diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran vis-à-vis the Sahel region. This significant transformation constitutes a commencement for the transmutation of the political will of Iran and the member states of the Sahel Alliance into multilateral cooperation.
The Sahel region is today experiencing one of its most consequential periods of political transformation since independence, and Iran stands in a position in which it may, with respect, experience, and indigenous technologies, constitute a trustworthy partner for the indigenous development of these states. If this trajectory continues with meticulous planning, project-based follow-through, and active participation of the private sector, the relations between Iran and the Sahel may evolve into one of the successful exemplars of South–South cooperation in the forthcoming decade.
The article first appeared in Persian on IRNA.