Aga Khan University Turns 40 and Celebrates its Founding Vision
By Dr Sulaiman Shahabbudin, Vice Chancellor, Aga Khan University
Aga Khan University (AKU), in only
four short decades since its
beginning, has grown to become an
international institution with
campuses and programmes in six
countries that include Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, Pakistan, Afghanistan and
the United Kingdom. The University’s
academic agenda is diverse from
medicine and nursing, to journalism,
educational development, Muslim
civilisations, arts and sciences, and
more. AKU also operates a health
system comprising 7 hospitals across 3
countries.
Forty years ago, on March 16,
1983, the Aga Khan University was born
out of the vision of its founder and
Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan.
It was on that day that it received
its first Charter from the Government
of Pakistan.
On that day, His Highness articulated
the vision that has guided the
University throughout its existence.
He set forth its mission of “setting
the highest standards possible,
whether in teaching, in research or in
service.” Its goal of reconciling
loyalty to international standards
with service to those in need. Its aim
of delivering an education “in the
high traditions of intellectual
inquiry” so as to equip young women
and men with a “searching curiosity,”
“disciplined habits of mind” and the
ability “to use knowledge to identify
and solve problems.”
He stated clearly that AKU would be
“open to all comers, regardless of
colour, creed, race or class” and that
“the only criteria which will count
for admission will be merit and
potential for leadership.” Inspired by
the pinnacles of intellectual
achievement reached by Muslim
scholars, he looked forward to seeing
the University demonstrate that “the
spirit of disciplined, objective
enquiry is the property of no single
culture, but of all humanity.” He
urged AKU as well to reach across
borders, “making wisdom available from
one country to another.”
While the University dates its
inception from the receipt of its
Charter in 1983, that historic
occasion was itself the culmination of
a lengthy journey. From the day in
1964 that His Highness announced the
AKU project to the inauguration of its
hospital and campus in 1985, two
decades passed.
A curriculum that would prepare
graduates for world-class practice and
to address local challenges was
devised. As His Highness noted in
inaugurating the Aga Khan University
Hospital and Faculty of Health
Sciences in Karachi in 1985, AKU
represented “hundreds of thousands of
man-hours of debate,” “endless travels
of experts,” “unstinting efforts” by
project leaders and “a massive
response” from donors and institutions
across the world.
Close to two decades after its launch
in Pakistan, AKU begun a new chapter
in East Africa with precursor
programmes in nursing and teacher
education in Uganda, Tanzania and
Kenya in the period 1999-2001. It
kicked off with the establishment of
the School of Nursing and Midwifery,
East Africa to deliver high quality,
affordable and accessible work/study
programmes for working nurses. In
2004, the Medical College, East Africa
was set up to provide medical
education in the region. This was a
major contribution to the foundation
of the University in the region. A
year later, the Aga Khan Hospital in
Nairobi was transformed into a
teaching hospital to integrate
academic functions with clinical
services and provide the right level
of training facilities for the Medical
College and School of Nursing and
Midwifery.
In 2021, Aga Khan University in Kenya
received its Charter to set forth the
University’s mission, which is to
improve quality of life by educating
individuals for leadership in the
knowledge-based economy, by generating
and sharing problem-solving knowledge
and innovations in partnership with
other institutions, and by meeting
international standards of quality.
Four decades into its life, the impact
of the Aga Khan University is plain to
see. The University has awarded more
than 19,000 diplomas and degrees –
two-thirds of which have gone to
women. Its graduates are leading
change across Asia, Africa, Europe and
North America, from rural clinics and
remote schools to world-renowned
universities and hospitals. AKU
faculty members are conducting
cutting-edge research on everything
from cancer and infectious diseases to
the history of Muslim societies, using
tools ranging from artificial
intelligence to gene editing
The AKU health system serves more than
2 million patients annually. In recent
years, the University has been ranked
among the leading universities in
Asia, Africa and, in some fields, the
world. Last year, it provided more
than $30 million in patient welfare
and student financial assistance to
make an AKU education and AKUH health
care available to low- and middle-
income families. With partners in 20
countries, it can bring together
experts from around the world to work
on challenges facing lower-income
societies. Collaborating with
government policymakers, schools,
health facilities and health
programmes is a major motif of the
University’s work.
The story of AKU’s evolution from 1983
to the present constitutes an epic
journey. From a single-country,
single-hospital, health sciences-
focused institution, it has developed
into a six-country, seven-hospital,
discipline-spanning enterprise.
Indeed, one-third of its students and
one-quarter of its patients are in
East Africa.
This growth is the result of an
immense effort by faculty, staff,
donors, volunteers and partners. It
also reflects the enabling environment
that has been created for the
University by its many friends and
allies. As His Highness observed in
AKU’s early years, “Developing a new
university into an effective and
respected centre of learning demands a
far greater span of commitment and
time than can ever be available from
one man’s views, one man’s resources
and the allotted years of one man’s
life.” AKU is profoundly grateful to
all those who have made its success
possible over the past four decades.
Forty years after its founding, AKU
remains as inspired by its founder’s
vision as ever, and as committed to
bringing it to life as when he
articulated it for the first time. The
story of the Aga Khan University is
far from finished. This year will see
the launch of undergraduate programmes
in medicine and nursing in Kenya. In
Uganda, the University has begun the
development of a campus in Kampala
that will comprise a teaching hospital
and academic facilities.
Fulfilling a longstanding goal, AKU is
launching the Faculty of Arts and
Sciences in Karachi to provide an
undergraduate education in the natural
sciences, social sciences and
humanities. Its first students arrive
later this year.
Ten years ago, during its 30th
anniversary year, His Highness
reflected on the University’s history.
“Our goals were ambitious back in
1983,” he said. “And yet, if we could
have glimpsed into the future then –
if we could have forecast what this
day would look like – I think we would
have been very happy with the way the
story has unfolded.” Now and in the
future, AKU will continue to pursue
ambitious goals and to be guided by
its founding vision. Setting high
standards, serving local needs,
rewarding merit, empowering women,
imbuing students with a searching
curiosity, connecting people across
borders, and looking with pride upon
the rich heritage of Asia and Africa –
now and forever, these will be the
keynotes of the Aga Khan University.
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