Bangladesh-Africa: A new partnership in the horizon

Over the last few decades the continent of Africa has witnessed an impressive ascent. Infrastructural development, broadening of consumer market, growth in GDP etc. have made the country an ideal ground for investment.

As of 2023, approximately 1.4 billion people had been living in Africa. West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and Southern Africa in particular may reach a combined GDP of $29 trillion by 2050. The market is a huge potential hence major powers have shifted their priorities to the continent.

These things considered, Bangladesh shares common ties in terms of economic growth, socio-economic trajectory, colonial legacy with Africa. Thus, the relations between Bangladesh and Africa have the potential to transcend the economic boundaries to become  much deeper through cooperation and facilitation beyond trade and commerce.

An alternative marketplace

The African continent employs a common custom union of 55 countries making it the largest Free Trade Area. Bangladesh being a gateway hub in South Asia for its geostrategic location can potentially provide access to the market of an estimated 3.5 billion people. Likewise, the partnership can bolster economic ties in a changing post LDC graduation landscape.

In the past, under the rubric of ‘Look Africa’ policy the government envisaged a range of activities to bolster relations with the African countries. The foreign ministry has emphasized boosting relations with the countries of Africa, especially in trade and economy, education, IT and ICT, air and maritime, health, contract farming, peer-to-peer contacts.

Among all the African countries South Africa shares the largest trade with Bangladesh. In FY22, Bangladesh shipped goods worth $133.33 million to South Africa, while it imported goods worth around $185.5 million, according to the Export Promotion Bureau and the National Board of Revenue. In light of such developments, the state minister of for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam  proposed formation of a Bangladesh-South Africa business council comprising different chamber officials and businessmen to assess potentials and discuss business matters.

The export basket includes readymade garments, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, jute, food products, light engineering items, electronic products and home appliances. Bangladeshi companies have considerable investment in African markets. Square pharmaceuticals has established factory in Kenya, as the popularity of Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies grow. As of FY22, the total volume of export to Africa has been $447.76 million dollars.

However, Bangladesh wants to increase its trade relations with Africa in the nearby future, As, LDC graduation will mark the end of PTA (Preferential Trade Agreements) in European market, to counter the effects, Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh has started negotiating with a number of African nations to sign bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) to boost trade and investment. To further  offset potential losses of trade facilities in the European Union and America after LDC graduation, the government will sign more FTAs and preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with different countries.

Joint venture in agriculture and peacekeeping

On February, 2023 Bangladesh and The Gambia  signed "Joint Political Declaration" for co-deployment of Bangladeshi and Gambian troops in UN peacekeeping mission subject to approval from the United Nations. The signing of the joint political declaration was part of South-South cooperation that developing countries like Bangladesh and Africa aspire to boost.

Currently, Bangladesh has about 7,000 UN peacekeepers, making it a major troops-sending country to the UN missions.

With the signing of the joint declaration, it’s labelled as a triangular cooperation including the two countries and the UN by the Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara. Apart from expertise in peacekeeping missions, the Africans are also eager to seek Bangladesh’s prowess in agriculture.

The South African Deputy Foreign Minister Candith Mashego Dlamini  viewed that air service connectivity and B2B contacts would help develop business relations and contacts, additionally proposing that both sides may exchange knowledge in agriculture and peacekeeping areas. Furthermore, South Africa and Bangladesh has entered into a visa waiver agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders and avoidance of double taxation between the two countries will facilitate contacts and increase bilateral trade and investment. Under such auspices, Business Unity South Africa had shown interest in working with Bangladeshi chambers.

Beyond trade and commerce

The BD-African relations reached a milestone when The Gambia, the small West African nation filed a genocide case against Myanmar with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), less than two years after the largest Rohingya influx to Bangladesh from Myanmar. This brought fourth the plight of Rohingya community to the international legal jurisdiction. Setting an example for commitment of an international rule based order. These acts have proved that BD- Africa partnership runs deeper. The commitment for humanitarian solidarity dates back to the time of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s unequivocal support at the UN for the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1974. Senegal became one of the initial countries and the first African country to recognize Bangladesh. Bangladesh and Africa share common socio-economic trajectory and shared colonial legacy. Additionally, Bangladesh extended unconditional support to the candidature of South Africa at the UN Security Council membership for the term 2011-12 and 2019-2020.

With the changing political landscape kicked off by the Ukraine-Russia war and LDC graduation, BD-Africa partnership could prove to be the next cornerstone of the economic history between the two lands. The relationship between Bangladesh and Africa has the potentiality to go beyond just economic transactions if the policy makers dive in to make the bond stronger.

Sent-In by Syeda Noshin Sharmily

Author's Bio: Syeda Noshin Sharmily, from Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka.

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