Citibank NA recognises best micro-entrepreneurs in Bangladesh

At only 22 years old, Md Rezwanul Islam is already a successful entrepreneur, who commercially produces compost fertilizer on rooftops.

His entrepreneurial journey began in 2010 when he was just an eighth grader. Inspired by a fish farmer in Bogura, he first began cultivating fish fingerlings in a pond after borrowing Tk1,600.

Rezwanul has not looked back since, and currently owns an agro farm established on 20 decimals of land. He also has a shop that sells organic food.  

A total of 27 workers are currently engaged in his farm.

Another micro entrepreneur, Marium Akter, started making electric circuit boards at with an initial investment of Tk16,000 in 2002.

Over the years, her business expanded to manufacturing PVC electric boards, sound systems, and LED light boards. Morium's initiative has created employment for 14 women.

She now owns a shop at Nababpur in Dhaka which sells electronics items produced by her.

Md Mokaddesur Rahman, who completed MA in Chemistry from Chattogram University, worked at different organisations in various positions until 2015, when he quit his job and preferred, instead, to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

He started organically processing dry fish, and is now a successful entrepreneur.

Citibank NA on Sunday recognised such entrepreneurs through an event titled "14th Citi Microentrepreneurship Award," held at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka.

Citi took the initiative to recognise small business owners throughout the country for their efforts in creating sustainable businesses.

Fish cultivator Imdadul Haque from Rajshahi secured the top position as the "Best Microentrepreneur of the Year". In this category, the first runner-up was safe drinking water supplier Md Khairul Alam from Satkhira.  

Mohammad Abdus Salam, an entrepreneur from Narayanganj, became the second runner-up.

In the "Best Women Microentrepreneur of the Year" category, Marium, the manufacturer of electric circuit board, won the first prize.

The first runner-up was visually-impaired Noorjahan, owner of a boutique house in Chattogram. The second runner-up in that category was Anjona Begum, an artisan from Jamalpur.

Bagura's Md Rezwanul Islam won the first prize of the "Best Young Microentrepreneur of the year." The first and the second runner-up were Mansura from Pirojpur and Mohammad Akbar Hossain from Chattogram, respectively.

The "Best Agriculture Microentrepreneur of the Year" award went to Md Mokaddesur Rahman, an organic dry fish processer in Cox's Bazar.

Md Selim Reza became the first runner-up as a cultivator of foreign fruits in an organic way.  Salma Khatun, an initiator of a combined agro-farm in Satkhira's Kaliganj, secured the second runner-up position.

National Development Programme in Sirajganj, Gram Bikash Kendra in Dinajpur, and Coastal Association for Social Transformation Trust were awarded as creative microcredit organisations.

The prize money for this year's best microentrepreneur was Tk4.5 lakh. In other categories, best entrepreneurs got Tk3.5 lakh each.

The award money for first and second runners-up in all categories was Tk1.5 lakh and Tk1 lakh each, respectively.

Apart from the prize money, they all got certificates and crests.

In the prize giving ceremony, Agriculture Minister Md Abdur Razzak was present as the chief guest.