Frequently Asked Questions
AKDN’s agencies are private, international, non-denominational development organisations. They work to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa. Some programmes, such as specific research, education and cultural programmes, span both the developed and developing worlds. While each agency pursues its own mandate, all of them work together within the overarching framework of the Network so that their different pursuits interact and reinforce one another.
No. AKDN’s work is underpinned by the ethical principles of Islam – particularly consultation, solidarity with those less fortunate, self-reliance and human dignity – but we do not restrict our work to a particular community, country or region. AKDN’s focus is on poor areas of the developing world, but we also conduct programmes in North America and Europe. Pluralism is a central pillar of AKDN’s ethical framework; we aim to improve living conditions and opportunities for people regardless of their particular religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Our employees are also of different faiths, origins and backgrounds.
His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan V is the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, and the Chair of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
He is the eldest son of the late Prince Karim Aga Khan and succeeded his father in accordance with historical Shia Imami Ismaili tradition on 4 February 2025.
His Highness worked closely with his late father for over three decades, serving on the boards of many AKDN agencies. He has been particularly concerned with AKDN’s drive to protect the environment and mitigate the effects of climate change. He has also given sustained attention to the work of AKDN and the Ismaili community institutions in addressing the needs of those living in the greatest poverty and supporting the improvement of their livelihoods through education, training and enterprise.
For more information, please see Our Chair.
His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV was the founder of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the 49th hereditary Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. He succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III, as Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims in 1957 at the age of 20. He then dedicated his efforts to improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations, emphasising the view of Islam as a faith that teaches compassion and tolerance and that upholds human dignity.
To this end, and guided by the ethical principles of Islam, he established the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of private, international, non-denominational agencies, working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in some of the poorest most vulnerable parts of the developing world.
For more information, please see Our Founder.
A significant portion of the funding for development activities comes from partnerships with national governments, multilateral institutions and private sector partners. His Highness the Aga Khan provides regular funding for administration, new programme and country initiatives, and for some core activities. The Ismaili community contributes invaluable volunteer time, professional services and substantial financial resources. Other funding sources include income from user fees and endowment funds.
Another significant source of funding is in the form of donations from corporations and individuals around the world, notably through the fundraising activities of the Partnership Walks and Partnership Golf tournaments, which are held annually in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. The Aga Khan Foundation affiliates in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Portugal are all registered non-profit organisations in their respective countries.
The project companies of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) − the only development agency in the AKDN that works on a commercial basis − operate as businesses, but all surpluses are reinvested in further development initiatives, including contributions to social and cultural projects. AKFED also works closely with governments, private sector partners and multilateral institutions to co-finance major infrastructure projects such as the Roshan mobile phone network in Afghanistan and the Bujagali hydroelectric project in Uganda.
No. Several AKDN agencies were first established to meet the needs of the Ismaili community in South Asia and East Africa, but today, under the leadership of His Highness the Aga Khan, the Network’s institutions have grown beyond that mission to encompass projects in areas where there are many faiths and ethnicities and where Ismailis do not live. Ismaili communities in poor and remote areas do benefit from AKDN projects, but the programmes, when at full scale, typically benefit a wide cross-section of the population. There are many areas – in Egypt, India, the Kyrgyz Republic and Mali, for example – where major programmes serve populations in which the Ismaili community is not present.
Whereas the precursors of the AKDN agencies were originally set up to serve the Ismaili community, in many cases today it is Ismailis themselves who are serving AKDN and the communities in which they live. The Network relies on the Ismaili tradition of volunteer service to assist in the implementation and maintenance of projects, notably at health and education facilities.
The work of all AKDN agencies is concentrated in over 30 countries, mostly in poor areas of South Asia and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, and the Middle East. Other programmes, notably in education and culture, operate in Europe and North America as well as in Asia and Africa.
AKDN works primarily through agencies that are registered in Switzerland as non-profit institutions.
The Aga Khan University (AKU) is chartered by the Government of Pakistan as an international university with the authority to operate programmes, branches and campuses anywhere in the world.
The University of Central Asia (UCA) is a self-governing regional university whose Charter was established pursuant to an international treaty between Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ismaili Imamat.
The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) is incorporated as a for-profit development agency under Swiss law, but its project companies operate as commercial entities under the laws of the countries in which they are resident.
The AKDN logo expresses interconnectivity. Polygons of three, five and seven form 49 different yet congruent units which interact with and reinforce each other to become one. They represent the Network as an interconnected programme encompassing social, cultural and economic dimensions to improve the quality of life of individuals and the societies in which they live.