Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Iran has held a positive view of Africa since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remark in a meeting with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in Tehran on Sunday, according to the official website of the Leader.
"Hegemonic powers are opposed to warm relations between Iran and African countries … But the solution to all problems lies in increased cooperation among independent countries."
Earlier in the day, the Ghanaian president attended a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart, in which he said the West African country is keen to develop ties with Iran and benefit from the vast potential for improved bilateral collaboration in various domains, from oil to agriculture to power generation.
"There exist numerous areas with ample room for boosting cooperation between the two countries, including oil and gas, refineries, agriculture, electricity generation, home appliances and cement production," he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
"I believe Iran offers great merits in all of these fields and could make a profitable partner for Ghana," he added.
Mahama is the first leader from the African continent to visit Iran after the Iran nuclear deal was reached on July 14.
It took effect last month to award Iran relief from economic sanctions in return for its verified compliance with the deal's provisions to scale down its nuclear program.
No other Ghanaian president has travelled to Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which saw the overthrow of the US-backed Shah.
Mahama called for cultural cooperation among Muslim countries to help counter the spread of extremist ideologies poisoning the minds of the youth.
"Any effective campaign against extremism should primarily address people's culture. We should cooperate to increase control over the views fed to the youth," he said.
Rouhani told the conference Iran attaches great importance to ties with the African country. He said his meeting with Ghanaian counterpart focused on a broad range of issues.
"The talks were not confined to economic issues; they addressed cultural, scientific and social service issues as well."
