His Highness the Aga Khan to meet with The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. John P. Magufuli at the Tanzania State House

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 11 October 2017 — His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), arrived in Dar es Salaam today on the occasion of his Diamond Jubilee. He is on the second leg of his East Africa tour for a two-day visit at the invitation of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. John P. Magufuli.

The Aga Khan was welcomed at the airport by the Minister of Defense, Hon. Hussein Mwinyi as well as the Minister of Education, Hon. Joyce Ndalichako, and received a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival as fusion ngoma dancers and a band performed.

Whilst in Dar es Salaam the Aga Khan is scheduled to meet with President Magufuli at the Tanzania State House where they will discuss national priorities and shared goals around the improvement of the quality of life for Tanzanians.

Following the meeting at the State House, President Magufuli is scheduled to host a luncheon for the Aga Khan and his delegation.

This visit is part of a series of visits that coincide with the commemoration of the Aga Khan’s Diamond Jubilee – which marks 60 years as the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community. The Aga Khan acceded to the Ismaili Imamat on 11^th July 1957.

Over the past six decades, the Aga Khan has transformed the quality of life for millions of people around the world. In the areas of health, education, cultural revitalisation, and economic empowerment, he has worked to inspire excellence and improve living conditions and opportunities including in some of the world’s most remote and troubled regions.

In Tanzania, the work of the Aga Khan Development Network has been transformative, going back over 100 years. The Aga Khan Foundation has increased income opportunities for over 100,000 smallholder farmers and over 9,200 community-based savings groups in Southern Tanzania. Additionally, the Aga Khan Health Services is equipped with the country’s top state-of-the-art hospital in Dar es Salaam, as well as 5 primary medical centres and 8 outreach centres across the country that have provided increased access to health for communities in rural and urban areas. The Aga Khan University, through the Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery and the Institute for Educational Development, has awarded over 250 Master’s Degrees and educated over 3,000 trainers in Tanzania. In Zanzibar, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture restored the seafront Forodhani Park and engaged in conservation planning for the Old Dispensary, amongst others, as AKDN promotes culture as a ‘trampoline for change’ for development.

The Aga Khan arrived from Kampala where he attended the Independence Day celebration upon the invitation of His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and was also decorated with the highest civilian Ugandan honour, The Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa, The Grand Master, for his deep engagement with development over 60 years.

While in Dar es Salaam, the Aga Khan will also meet members of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community.

NOTES

About the Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, is a private, international, non-denominational development organization. It employs over 80,000 people in over 30 countries. Its agencies address complex development issues, including the provision of quality healthcare and education services, cultural and economic revitalization, micro-enterprise, entrepreneurship and economic development, the advancement of civil society and the protection of the environment. For more information on AKDN, please visit: www.akdn.org

The Aga Khan and the Shia Ismaili Muslim Community
The Aga Khan is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) through his cousin and son-in-law Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter. He succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan as the Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims sixty years ago, at the age of 20. Today, His Highness the Aga Khan leads a global community of some 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, living predominantly in South Asia, Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and the Far East. Like the Muslim world as a whole, the Ismaili community represents a rich diversity of cultures, languages and nationalities. His role as Imam includes the interpretation of the faith for his community and responsibility for religious institutions and his followers worldwide. More information is available at https://the.ismaili.

For more information please contact:
Aly Ramji
Communications Coordinator
[email protected]