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Stakeholders and analysts at a seminar on Monday stressed the need for gearing up efforts to strengthen the country's engagement with African countries to reap huge economic benefits.
They said Bangladesh previously failed to explore true potential of the African nations, thereby calling for taking proactive measures to make up the loss.
The Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised the seminar to mark a book-launching event.
It also underscored the role of non-state actors, particularly the private sector, in driving economic growth and the need for a mindset shift towards greater interest in Africa.
Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain was the chief guest at the event presided by Ambassador AFM Goysul Azam Sarkar, chairman of the BIISS. Ambassador Humayun Kabir moderated the discussion.
According to Mr Touhid, Bangladesh can have a good partnership with African countries on agriculture and IT sector.
Bangladesh's ties with Africa dates back to longer period than usually anticipated as many Bangladeshi professionals were in service in South Africa since the apartheid period.
"Agriculture is definitely an area where we can go in. Options are still open. Software is another area where we can go in," said the adviser.
"Africa needs cooperation, and we can offer that cooperation, but then in many areas, we can have interaction..."
Ambassador Kabir highlighted the evolving roles of the young generation in Bangladesh and Africa, emphasising their potential to reshape relationships and contribute to global knowledge.
He underlined the importance of inviting African students to Bangladesh and fostering human connectivity, citing the large African student population in the region.
Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams said African countries were one of the first countries to recognise independent and sovereign Bangladesh.
"There was a great solidarity between Africa countries and Bangladesh at that time because of common global issues like colonialism and racialism, our solidarity with South African apartheid and one of the first missions that we opened immediately afterwards was in Africa."
"Over the years, because of our competing challenges and our own struggle to take our path forward, somehow we overlooked our relationship with Africa," noted Ms Shams.
According to business leader Shams Mahmud, a lot of companies from Bangladesh are working, especially in Ethiopia and in Africa, in IT services and river dredging.
Bangladeshi entrepreneur Shamim Kamal said two MoUs were earlier signed between Bangladesh and South Sudan-one on contract farming and another on visa simplification. However, none has been materialised yet.
"You'll be surprised to learn that internet business of South Sudan is 90 per cent controlled by the Bangladeshi businessman," he added.
Foreign ministry DG AFM Zahidul Islam highlighted the evolution of Bangladesh's relations with Africa,
highlighting historical ties formed in the 1970s and 1980s, including diplomatic missions and the deployment of peacekeeping forces.
He noted the economic potential of the partnership, citing a projected African GDP of $29 trillion by 2050.
Mr Islam, however, stated challenges such as high tariffs and lack of trade agreements, suggesting diversifying the export basket of Bangladesh.
He also underscored the need for improved connectivity, visa-free arrangements, and educational and cultural exchanges.
The government's role in facilitating policies and the business community's proactive engagement are crucial for realising the full potential of Bangladesh-Africa relations, he observed.
Prof Delwar Hossain, who teaches international relations at Dhaka University, said: "We need to change our mindset about Africa."
"We lost opportunities to establish very strong relations between Bangladesh and Africa, maybe in the 90s and 2000s. I think we are far behind."
"Even Pakistan made a strong presence in Africa long before. We are trying but, I think, we are very late. So, we need to act on that," added Prof Hossain.
BIISS DG Maj Gen Iftekhar Anis said the book titled 'Look Africa: Exploring New Horizons for Bangladesh' has 13 insightful chapters covering a wide range of critical issues.
"This book explores key areas like diplomatic engagements, socio-cultural exchanges and economic cooperation, providing an in-depth analysis of how the styles can be strengthened."
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com