AKDN | Bangladesh

AKDN has been active in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for nearly seven decades, working in areas of early childhood development, pre-tertiary education and financial services within the country.

We established a jute mill industry, which for many years was one of the largest industries in Bangladesh. We launched a venture capital and development organisation and are now the major shareholder in Habib Bank Ltd, providing employment, skills, government revenue and economic growth. We have helped local NGO partners to develop their organisational capacity in key areas such as planning, financial management and gender equality, contributing to a strong civil society that provides a stable basis for participatory development. Our early childhood development (ECD) programmes have reached over 33,000 children and trained about 700 pre-primary teachers.

In 2013, we signed a Protocol of Cooperation with Bangladesh – building off an earlier protocol signed in 1993 – to enhance the collaboration between the country and AKDN in areas of economic, cultural and social development.

Today, we educate nearly 1,000 children at the Aga Khan School in Dhaka. We have recently opened an Aga Khan Academy, with world-class facilities and teaching, to nurture the leaders of the next generation.