MM Rahmatullah: Book Launching Seminar on Look Africa: Exploring New Horizons for Bangladesh held at Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies Auditorium on Monday.
BIISS organized the event, while Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain delivered his speech as the chief guest.
Director General of Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies Major General Iftekhar Anis, BSP, awc, afwc, psc, PENG delivered the Introductory Remarks. Ambassador Humayun Kabir, President of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) chaired and wrapped the session up with some remarks.
A presentation on the book was delivered by Dr Razia Sultana, Senior Research Fellow of BIISS. Mr AFM Zahid-Ul-Islam, Former DG Africa Wing and Current DG North America Wing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh delivered a presentation on “Africa-Bangladesh Relations: An Overview”. There were two discussions on the book. Distinguished Discussants of the Book were Dr Munshi Sulaiman, Professor and Research Director, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) and Dr Marufa Akter, Associate Professor and Head Department of Global Studies and Governance, School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).
Distinguished Speakers and participants noted that in recent years, Africa has become an area of significant economic opportunity due to its vast natural resources. Many African nations are experiencing impressive economic growth, spurred by regional economic collaborations and improved governance. This trend has not gone unnoticed by Bangladesh, which is keen to build stronger partnerships with African countries in key sectors such as agriculture, education, health, and information technology (IT). In return, African nations are eager to collaborate with Bangladesh in areas such as trade, investment, contract farming, e-commerce, education, environment, healthcare, and logistics, aiming for mutual benefit. This alignment of interests between Bangladesh and African countries presents numerous opportunities to enhance both social progress and economic prosperity by sharing expertise and resources.
Esteemed speakers also highlighted that there is also potential for deeper collaboration in the areas of peace and security. Bangladesh’s engagement with Africa dates back to 1989 when it sent observer groups to Namibia. Since then, Bangladesh has consistently contributed to peacekeeping efforts across the continent, sending troops and personnel on numerous United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions. Both regions have shared common struggles during the decolonisation period and actively participated in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), standing in solidarity against colonialism. While Bangladesh has made efforts to strengthen these historical ties, the full potential of its engagement with Africa remains largely untapped. Given Africa’s increasing strategic importance, Bangladesh is now eager to revitalise its relations with the continent and explore new avenues for deeper cooperation.
Senior officials from different ministries, diplomatic missions, media, researchers, academicians and students from various universities, representatives from different think tanks, international organisations, actively participated in the book launching seminar and enriched it by presenting their valuable opinions, comments, suggestions, and observations during the open discussion session.
Lots of dignitaries including Strategic Experts spoke at the event, most of them agreed that we’ve lots of opportunities in exploring business on African soil, but not enough support from our foreign missions.
