ICT Park's President Explained the Outcomes of the Trip to Mali

At the start of this meeting, Dr. Mohammad Jafar Sadigh Damghanizadeh, the Advisor to the Minister and the President of ICT Park, reviewed the actions and activities of the Park regarding Africa during the last year: "If we aim to work outside of Iran despite the current difficult conditions and the cruel international sanctions, Africa, especially Mali, is one of the places where we can work effectively; hence, we have to work hard in this regard," he said. 
He also referred to the visits and negotiations that they have held with two Malian ministers, the Minister of Higher Education and Research, and the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and mentioned the many capacities that exist in this country: "In general, there are two models of cooperation to proceed with this country. The first model concerns setting up an innovation center with the aim of turning it into a university science and technology park with the cooperation of Mali's Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and the other model includes establishing joint companies with the cooperation of Mali's Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. It seems that ICT Park can achieve both of these objectives due to its experience, capacity and potential," he explained. 
Indicating that the government of Mali is truly willing to cooperate with Iran and this is another advantage of Mali for bilateral cooperation, Dr. Sadigh Damghanizadeh appreciated the positive role and significant contributions of Mr. Hossein Talshi, the Ambassador of Iran in Mali. 
The Advisor to Iran's Minister of Communications also considered Mali's active private sector as another advantage point: "If we seriously focus on Mali, it will turn out to be a suitable place for growth and progress. Of course, choosing our cooperation model, especially in the private sector, remains on the decision of ICT Park's associated companies because our aim for traveling to Mali was only to evaluate the fields of cooperation," he pointed out. 
Later in the session, Dr. Abbas Ghanbari Bagestan, the Consulter for ICT Park Communication and International Affairs, referred to the serious aim of Mali's government to develop cooperation with Iran: "Due to both nationalistic tendencies and also the absence of a supporting power caused by the withdrawal of France, the current government of Mali is eager to employ Iran's technology and this is an opportunity that we can benefit from," he said. 
"Especially Mali's project for establishing a Digital City, which is recently under construction by Mali's Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, is a unique opportunity for the technology companies that aim to join it and start "standardization" in this country regarding different fields and sectors of technology,” he explained.
In another part of the meeting, the managers and representatives of different companies, including Arg Telecom, ESM Telecommunication Company, Signal-Afza Industrial Group, and Nour Behineh Gostar Middle East shared their concerns and the possible challenges regarding regional and international cooperation, including issues related to financial exchanges, banking, and technology beside presenting their proposals for participating in Mali's market. 
It is worth noting that a three-member delegation of ICT Park’s officials traveled to Mali on a four-day trip with the aim of developing international cooperation in Africa. In addition to visiting Mali's Minister of Higher Education and Minister of Communications, an MoU was signed between Mali's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Iran's ICT Park.