AKDN Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 23 February 2015 – His Excellency Dr Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, today granted the Aga Khan University (AKU) its charter under Tanzanian law, marking the first time such recognition has been given to a foreign-based institution of higher learning.
President Kikwete emphasised that the unprecedented decision stemmed from the trust that Tanzania had in AKU’s ability to perform.
“It is done so because of the trust and confidence that we have in the Aga Khan University, that the university will contribute to Tanzania’s endeavours to close the human resource gap particularly in the areas of sciences, natural sciences, mathematics and computers….We are proud of that cooperation and I have no doubt in my mind that the Aga Khan University will rise to the expectations of all of us.”
He made the remarks today (Monday) at a brief ceremony at State House during which he presented the Charter to His Highness the Aga Khan, the University’s Chancellor and founder.
The Aga Khan thanked President Kikwete for the confidence placed in the Aga Khan University and stressed that the university will do its best to meet Tanzania’s expectations:
“The basic principle of this university is to invest in people…..When we looked at the areas of education that we could become involved in, we found in Asia and Africa that there had been significant underinvestment in people, in education and in healthcare, and we decided this should be the beginning of our academic activity.”
Ismailimail 