By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday arrived Kenya where he was received with a Red Carpet welcome from his host, President William Ruto.
Nairobi is his first point of call as he commenced a three-country tour of Africa in which Tehran is touted to start a “new beginning” in relations with the continent.
The trip, earlier scheduled to begin on Tuesday, was delayed by a day to finalise memorandums of understanding which Raisi and Ruto were to sign, Kenya’s foreign ministry stated.
Iranian and Kenyan ministers signed five memorandums of understanding on Wednesday related to information technology, fisheries, livestock products and investment promotion, both governments announced.
Raisi is also expected to meet with Ugandan and Zimbabwean leaders during the 3-day visit.
This is the first trip to Africa by an Iranian President in the past 11 years, an effort which seeks to diversify economic ties in the face of crippling sanctions from the United States.
At a press briefing after meeting Ruto, Raisi, who has previously described Africa as a “continent of opportunities”, said he wanted to boost commercial ties with African countries.
“None of us are satisfied with the current volume of trade and the current economic exchange between countries,” he said.
Ruto said he had sought Raisi’s commitment to facilitate the export of more Kenyan tea, meat and other agricultural products to Iran and via Iran to Central Asian countries.
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that it expects trade with African countries to increase to more than $2bn this year, without providing a comparative figure for 2022.
Under Ruto, Kenya is struggling with debt and rising living costs, with protests expected to continue on Wednesday in the capital, Nairobi, and elsewhere.
