Project Partners

the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Aga Khan University (AKU) and Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), as part the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), have been supporting human development in East Africa for over 100 years and in Mozambique since 1998. AKDN has over time closely collaborated with country- specific government health sectors to ensure improvement of health indicators through systems strengthening approaches that will continue to be evident in this and future collaborations. Our programmes are characterized by long-term commitment to the peoples and countries of the region and strong local and international partnerships.

Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)

AKF seeks to improve the quality of life, promote pluralism and enhance self-reliance in poor and marginalized communities. In East Africa, AKF works to enhance agriculture and food security, promote early childhood development and access to quality education, improve health and nutrition, advance economic inclusion and strengthen civil society. Across a range of national and local platforms and networks, AKF has invested in nearly 5,000 formal and informal CSOs, including Village Development Organisations (VDOs), Farmers Organisations and a myriad other civic group working on a vast array of issues. Among these are over 2,000 Community Based Savings Groups (CBSGs) in Tanzania, the Juntos! Civil Society platform established by AKF in Mozambique, and the disability platform in Uganda, reaching almost 200 membership organisations, and the Yetu initiative with over 700 CSOs in Kenya.

Aga Khan University (AKU)

Founded in 1983 as Pakistan’s first private university, AKU is a not-for-profit institution and an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. Starting in 2000, the University expa​​nded​ to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Afghanistan, and the United Kingdom. ​

AKU began life as a health-sciences university. We are among the largest private health-care providers in Pakistan and East Africa. Our hospitals were the first in those regions accredited by U.S.-based Joint Commission International, and our research and our graduates have influenced health policy and practice nationally and internationally.

More recently, we have initiated programmes in teacher education, the study of Muslim civilisations, journalism, early childhood development and public policy. In the near future, we will launch an undergraduate liberal-arts programme to educate future leaders in a wide range of fields, and we will establish additional graduate professional schools. Our goal, in the words of our founder and Chancellor, His Highness t​he Aga Khan, is to be “on the frontiers of scientific and humanistic knowledge, radiating intelligence and confidence, research and graduates, into flourishing economies and progressive legal and political systems.”​

Launched in 2015, The Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) is the premier source of education and tailored training for journalists, communicators and media executives and entrepreneurs in East Africa and beyond. Guided by the principles of global excellence and local relevance, GSMC helps individuals to transform their careers and organizations to seize on opportunities and reap the benefits of innovation. The Aga Khan University Institute for Human Development (AKUIHD) is dedicated to expanding and driving innovation in research and higher education in the area of human development, with direct relevance for policies, programs, and practices that enhance life experiences at all stages of human development.