Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury and non-resident envoy of Sudan to Bangladesh Daffa Alla Elhag Ali Osman discussed the issue at a recent meeting in Dhaka.

The adviser sought cooperation from the ambassador regarding appointment of an honorary consul in Sudan where presently there is no Bangladesh mission, said a foreign ministry official.

The initiatives are being taken at a time when the local manpower businesses are considering Sudan a lucrative job market because of massive investment by foreign companies there. Some of those companies have also sent letters to some Bangladeshi recruiting agents expressing interest in hiring workers from here.

The local businesses said many foreign companies are investing in Sudan lured by its mineral resources and setting up major industries, which require thousands of workers.

"The foreign companies there are interested to employ skilled manpower from countries such as China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh," said a manpower businessman.

A Bangladeshi worker Tajul Islam, presently working in Sudan, told The Daily Star over telephone that a number of companies from Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and even Western countries have set up construction, cement, soft drinks, juice and steel factories there.

"They want foreign workers," Tajul, who was once in Kuwait but later went to Sudan for higher salary, said, adding that the minimum monthly salary for unskilled workers is US$120 to US$160. Salary for technical jobs ranges from US$500 to US$700, he said.

Tajul said there are already around 15,000 Bangladeshi workers in Sudan, but there is no government-level arrangement for sending manpower to the African state. Workers are now going there through their own arrangements.

"We have no guardian to seek redress, as there is no Bangladesh mission here (Sudan)," he said.

Managing work permits sometimes is a problem here for the workers, he said, adding: "If there was the Bangladesh mission here, we would have someone to tell our problems."