Sudan prioritizes agriculture, livestock, mining in economic ties with Iran
March 18, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan has identified agriculture, livestock, and mining as its top priorities for economic cooperation with Iran, the Sudanese finance ministry said.
On Monday, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssif discussed bilateral relations with Tehran’s ambassador to Sudan, Hossein Shah. The talks covered arrangements for a joint ministerial committee meeting and Sudan’s participation in an “Iran and Africa” event scheduled for May, the ministry said.
Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim chaired a preparatory meeting on Tuesday for the joint ministerial committee with Iran at the ministry’s headquarters in Port Sudan.
“The meeting defined the priorities of cooperation with Iran, focusing on investment in agriculture, livestock, and related processing industries, in line with Tehran’s desire and its extensive experience in this field,” the finance ministry said in a statement seen by Sudan Tribune.
The priorities also include investment in the mining sector, and the ministry said it had approved commodity swaps.
The ministry stressed the importance of knowledge sharing and taking advantage of capacity-building opportunities offered by Iran to train Sudanese personnel in agricultural and livestock research.
The meeting also emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between the private sectors of both countries and to organize a Sudanese-Iranian business forum. This forum, involving companies and business leaders, would be held alongside the joint committee meeting proposed for Tehran in the coming months, the statement said.
The finance minister heads the Sudanese side of the joint ministerial committee, while the Iranian side is led by the minister of agricultural Jihad (or Construction Agriculture).
Finance Minister Ibrahim said the Sudanese government was keen to enhance strategic cooperation with Iran and activate joint cooperation mechanisms. He stressed the need for Iran to participate in rebuilding and reconstruction efforts following the damage caused by the war.
Ties between Sudan and Iran have strengthened since the outbreak of the current conflict. There have been reports of the Sudanese army receiving military support from Tehran following a diplomatic rift from June 2016 to October 2023.