Bangladesh and Algeria are eager to boost bilateral trade and economic relations between the two friendly countries.

This was revealed at a meeting held between Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) President Kamal Himani in Algiers on Monday.

Jashim is now leading a Bangladesh delegation in the North African country for the second Foreign Office Consultation between the two nations, read a press release.

During the meeting, he highlighted the expanding nature of bilateral trade and expressed optimism that more could be done if more and more business enterprises from both countries explore further avenues of engagement.

The foreign secretary presented the existing and potential areas of trade that could happen between the two countries. Among the areas, trade in apparels, pharmaceuticals, industrial raw materials sourcing like LNG, metals, and electronic and light engineering products came under discussion.

Jashim also suggested the ACCI explore the possibility of joint ventures in the areas of shipbuilding, ICT, and agriculture. 

Welcoming the foreign secretary, Kamal Himani expressed Algeria’s interest and readiness in deepening economic ties with the South Asian country.  

He acknowledged Bangladesh’s achievements in export-oriented industries and underscored the potential for increased trade in energy, construction, and agro-processing.

Jashim laid out action plans which include among others, an online meeting to kick off the bilateral interaction for 2025, facilitating the participation in each other’s international trade fairs, formation of joint business forum, exchange of business delegations in each other’s capitals and agreed upon signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), pending for signature between the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the ACCI.

Kamal welcomed the proposals put forward by the foreign secretary and said that Algeria would encourage Bangladeshi companies’ participation in their upcoming International Trade Fair and Intra Africa Trade Fair to be held in Algiers in June and September, respectively.

He assured that his Chamber would accord priority to the proposals and help implement the recommendations.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen Bangladesh-Algeria trade relations, foster economic growth, and promote business-to-business connections between the two friendly nations.

During the meeting, from Algerian side, the president of Tizi Ouzou Province Chamber of Commerce, president of Boumerdes Province Chamber of Commerce, secretary general of the ACCI, and from Bangladesh side, Bangladesh ambassador to Algeria, additional secretary of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, director of the Foreign Secretary’s Office, senior assistant secretary (Africa wing) of the foreign ministry, and head of Chancery of Bangladesh Embassy in Algiers were present.