A Successful Entrepreneur

Business life Story

Akij Uddin, Sheikh (1929-2006)

Early Life
was born in the village Madhyadanga under Fultala

upazila of Khulna in 1929.

His father Sheikh Mofij Uddin was an ordinary local
trader and lead a very humble life.
Akij was admitted into a school, but used to remain
away from the school, as he was required to give
time in his fathers business.
The economic distress of the family led Akij to earn
for the family.
During the Great Famine of 1942-43, Akij left home
and reached CALCUTTA in search of a job or
business.
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Having no relative in Calcutta, Akij made the

Shialdah Railway Station his shelter.

One day he got a cleaning job at Zakariya

Hotel and that became the point of his rise in

fortune.
One day, when he was passing through

Ramlochan Street, he observed that some

mobile retailers purchased fruits from the
street sellers on auction and sell those to
different parts of the city. This process
attracted him and started this humble
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business and started living on his own.

From the beginning of his

business life
Akij opened a shop named Nilamwala Chhay Ana
Shopkeepers sold their goods through reciting Hindi

rhymes but as he did not know Hindi properly, he hired an

assistant for reciting Hindi rhymes.
In the Meantime Akij was introduced to a Peshawari

businessman and with him he went to Peshawar where he

stayed about two years. He returned to Calcutta with a modest
capital to start any small business.
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Akij met Bidhu Bhushan, friend of his

father, who was then famous for his patent

Bidhu Bidi. With his help, Akij started his
BIDI (cigarette) production in the year 1952.
Alongside, he also established a grocery shop
near Bezerdanga rail station. He made profit
from both. He branded his BIDI as Akij Bidi.
By 1960-62, the manpower of his bidi factory
rose to 250 workers. Akijuddin expanded his
enterprise to more areas, such as rice, jute,
paddy etc. By 1972, Akij made a substantial
capital for greater investment.
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Akij Group of Industry was top 7 in 10

He formed an industrial group called Akij

Group, as of now. Akij Group made profits and

expanded its activities still further and turned
one of the leading entrepreneurial leaders in the
country. Under the umbrella of the Akij Group,
the following industrial units are there by 1998:
Akij Bidi Factory Limited (1950),
SAF Industries Limited (1960),
Dhaka Tobacco Industries Limited (1966),
Akij Printing and Packaging Limited (1974),
Akij Transport Agencies Limited (1980),
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Navaron Printing and Packaging Limited

(1980),
Jess Pharmaceutical Limited (1986),
Akij Match Factory Limited (1992),
Akij Jute Mills Limited (1994),
Akij Cement Company Limited (1995),
Akij Textiles Mills Limited (1995),
Akij Particle Board Limited (1996),
Akij Housing Limited (1997),
Savar Industries Limited (1998),
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Akij Foods and Beverage Limited (2000),

Akij Online Limited (2000), Nebula Ink

Limited (2000),
Akij Corporation Limited (2001), Akij
Computer Limited (2001),
Akij Institute of Technology Limited (2001),
Akij Agro Limited (2004), and
Akij Paper Mills Limited (2005). About
thirty two thousand people work in the Akij
business empire.
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THANK YOU