Rokia Afzal Rahman: An entrepreneurial spirit par excellence

Rokia Afzal Rahman. Sketch: TBS

After spending a number of years in the banking sector, Rokia Afzal Rahman ventured into business in 1980. With a small bank loan, she bought land in Munshiganj and built a cold storage named RR Cold Storage Limited. This was the first of the many successful businesses that she would later own and develop in her life. 

The regular commute from Dhaka to Munshiganj by launch did not dampen her spirit. She loved talking to rural people and moreover, she enjoyed working with them. In fact, she personally knew most of the farmers who worked at her business sites.  

With time, Rokia's business grew and she bought another agro-business company, Imaan Cold Storage Limited. As the chairperson and CEO of two agro companies, she worked directly with over 15,000 farmers.

She believed in a simple philosophy: Do business in such a way that you earn your own respect.

One of the leading business leaders and entrepreneurs of Bangladesh, Rokia Afzal Rahman passed away in her sleep on Wednesday at the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in Singapore. She was 82. 

Rokia was the chairperson of RR Group of Companies, Mediaworld Ltd (parent company of The Daily Star) and Midas Financing Ltd. She was the founding president of the Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs. She was also the managing shareholder of ABC Radio. 

In 2001, she was an adviser to the caretaker government of Bangladesh.

In the early days of her business, local goons often caused trouble and threatened her, but she did not give in to them. She was strongly against giving bribes. Integrity and transparency were extremely valuable to Rokia as a business person.

They tried to spread rumours about how she was taking millions of taka out of the village. But Rokia successfully convinced the villagers by elaborating on her plans – how she was not there to do just business, but to improve their lives as well. 

The crooks did not stand a chance against Rokia's burgeoning popularity and eventually, they stopped with their threats and smear campaigns. 

In an interview later in life, she spoke about the event, saying, "The whole village was so happy. The village thought they had won." 

On her personal life front, it was not easy for Rokia to strike the work-life balance, especially given the entrepreneurial landscape for women at her time. But she persevered. She once said, "Business isn't easy. Business is very difficult. But it should not discourage new entrepreneurs from following their dreams." 

Before embarking on her journey as a business person, she sat down with her three children and told them from now on, they will have to be more responsible. They will have to eat their meals on time, finish their homework etc. 

Her influence and care spread wide and deep beyond just her children. In essence, she was her extended family's oak tree. 

"Roki Khala was a huge presence in our lives. She actually raised us, all of my cousins. She held the entire family together. She was the pillar," said Farhan Samad, guitarist of Cryptic Fate and Rokia's nephew. 

"She was a giant source of inspiration and, we feel, she instilled all of our values in us. Although she was not the eldest among all of her siblings, she certainly was like a mother to all her nephews and nieces. 

She was the matriarch of our family," Farhan Samad added.   

One of Rokia's most noteworthy accomplishments is the establishment of a 'mini mart' in 1996. It was a chain of shops owned and managed by a group of women entrepreneurs. She mentioned that "the concept of mini-mart did very well" at that time. 

Born in Kolkata in 1941, Rokia grew up in a conservative household. But her father prioritised and ensured that all of his six daughters (including Rokia) received the best education. They attended the St Joseph's Convent School in Karachi. 

After graduating from college in 1962, Rokia began working in commercial banking. At a time when women rarely went out to work, she achieved the impossible by becoming a branch manager within two years. 

Former Vice President of MCCI Dhaka Anis A Khan said, "She had the distinction of being the first-ever female manager of a bank branch in Bangladesh. This inspired other women to look for opportunities in the services sector and today a considerable percentage of the total workforce of the banks in Bangladesh are women." 

He mentioned that during her tenure as the MCCI president from 2014 to 2015, the organisation celebrated 110 years of its existence and had former Indian President Late A P J Abdul Kalam as the keynote speaker and special guest at the event.  

In 2006, she accompanied Dr Muhammad Yunus when he went to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She also shared the stage with other eminent personalities at the World Economic Forum in 2012. 

Anis A Khan said, "Rokia always led by example while being humble and enabling her teams. She never looked for recognition or awards and was always shy when accepting them." 

Lead Governance Specialist (FM) at the World Bank and the first female Chartered Accountant of Bangladesh Suraiya Zannath remembered Rokia as being modest, humble and having a warrior spirit. And these set her apart from others. 

Rokia is survived by two daughters and a son.