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South African high commissioner to Bangladesh Professor Anil Sooklal on Thursday called for boosting trade and strengthening people-to-people contact between Bangladesh and South Africa, noting that the bilateral relationship remained below its potential, particularly in the economic sphere.

‘I think the relationship lacks visibility on both sides. We need to give greater visibility. We don’t know what each other’s markets have to offer. It’s out of ignorance that businesses suffer,’ he said while addressing members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh at the ministry of foreign affairs.

Professor Sooklal, who is also concurrently accredited to India and Nepal, said that trade, investment, education, culture, sports and pharmaceuticals were among the sectors where the two countries can deepen collaboration through joint efforts.

‘I firmly believe the private sector must drive economic relations. As a government, we create the enabling environment. I think the enabling environment is there. There are some challenges. The visa issue is something that has been raised,’ he said.

He noted that although South Africa did not maintain a resident mission in Dhaka, they were exploring solutions to ease the visa process. ‘We have made some proposals on how we can try to simplify it as a first step, not having an embassy as an impediment.’

To that end, Professor Sooklal said that they were working on a mechanism with VFS to facilitate visa processing for Bangladeshi applicants.

The high commissioner also pointed out the absence of a South African mission in Dhaka, which, although planned earlier, has not yet materialised. ‘It is still a priority for us. I think we see the importance of doing that for a number of reasons.’

He emphasised the importance of restoring momentum in the relationship by convening foreign office consultations soon. ‘Foreign office consultation needs to happen almost immediately, before the end of this year. That’s an important barometer in terms of taking stock of where the relationship is.’

Professor Sooklal acknowledged that while bilateral relations have developed over the past three decades, they need a renewed push, particularly at the institutional level.

He expressed the hope for finalising a draft Memorandum of Understanding between a major South African trade chamber and its Bangladeshi counterpart by the end of this year.

‘We should be hosting the next round of foreign office consultations, which we hope will happen in October or November this year,’ he said, suggesting that the Bangladeshi delegation should include representatives from the private sector to sign the MoU.

Addressing concerns over the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa, Professor Sooklal said that they had had challenges where specific communities were targeted for violence. But it was instigated by a small group of people, and the government dealt with it very effectively.

He said that their security agencies were actively working to address such challenges. ‘I’m saying the same needs to happen with the Bangladeshi citizens that are in South Africa – your embassy needs to be more proactive in working with our ministry and working with the security agencies.’

The envoy noted that an estimated 400,000 Bangladeshis were currently living in South Africa. ‘It’s a sizable presence. And I believe that is also an opportunity for us in terms of the relationship.’

‘You’re a massive market in this region. South Africa can be used as the hub for the larger sub-Saharan region, because we have the infrastructure more than other countries in the region,’ the high commissioner said, highlighting potential areas for joint ventures.

He said that agriculture, in particular, presented untapped opportunities. ‘I believe you are very strong in the agro sector. That’s a sector where we are not at the level we should be at... We have land. I think there are opportunities for joint ventures.’

He also proposed collaboration in the minerals and mining sector, where South Africa holds considerable expertise.

Beyond trade and investment, Professor Sooklal stressed the importance of enhancing people-to-people contact. ‘Students, academics, think tanks, journalists – can play a very important role in terms of bringing greater visibility to this relationship.’