Bangladesh Eyes Stronger Trade, Investment Links with Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, March 5, 2026 (ENA)—Bangladesh has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening bilateral relations with Ethiopia, placing trade and investment at the center of its diplomatic engagement. 

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Air Vice Marshal Sitwat Nayeem, said Dhaka is keen to expand cooperation and unlock untapped commercial opportunities between the two nations.

“The present status of the relationship between Ethiopia and Bangladesh is very good since we established our embassy in Addis Ababa in 2016.

The relationship has been growing slowly but steadily, and I am trying my best to connect with the different people to make this relationship even better,” Nayeem stated.

He noted that bilateral ties have progressed steadily with sustained political goodwill providing a solid platform for enhanced economic collaboration.

The ambassador also recalled that Bangladesh’s foreign minister visited Addis Ababa last year for talks with his Ethiopian counterpart, focusing on expanding cooperation and exploring growth strategies.

Despite the positive trajectory, Nayeem acknowledged a persistent information gap between the business communities of both countries.

“There is a lack of knowledge between both the business people of both countries. Ethiopian business people do not know what the opportunities are in Bangladesh and Bangladesh business people also do not know what the opportunities are here in Ethiopia,” he explained.

He stressed that stronger business to business engagement and sustained policy dialogue would be essential to bridge this gap and stimulate trade flows.

Nayeem said a recent Bangladesh Ethiopia trade show revealed considerable potential for collaboration, particularly as Bangladeshi participants observed Ethiopia’s rising demand for industrial and consumer goods amid rapid economic growth.

“Ethiopia is growing very fast. The development is happening tremendously. So, they need a lot of resources, a lot of supplies and there the Bangladeshi business people can come in,” he said.

Agriculture emerged as a natural area for partnership. The ambassador highlighted the complementarity between Ethiopia’s coffee exports and Bangladesh’s global leadership in jute production.

“One of the important sectors that I recognize is that the main export here is coffee and, you know, for preserving coffee, you need a jute bag. Bangladesh produces the largest amount of jute in the world, but we do not export to Ethiopia,” he emphasized.

He added: “This is one sector that we need to connect the business people, the Ethiopian coffee business people with the jute business people of Bangladesh.”

Pharmaceuticals were also identified as a promising field for cooperation, alongside other manufacturing sectors where Bangladesh has developed competitive capacity.

“My job right now is to connect this to people and share the opportunities in both our countries so that they can come together and do business and increase the trade volume,” Nayeem added.

Encouraging Bangladeshi investors to view Ethiopia as a gateway to the broader African market, the ambassador pointed to the advantages offered under the African Continental Free Trade Area, which provides expanded access across the continent.