KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni and His Highness Karim Aga Khan V stood side by side Thursday as they opened Aga Khan University in Nakawa, a bustling neighborhood of Uganda’s capital, and broke ground for a new Aga Khan Hospital.
The event marked what both leaders called a major step in a decades-long partnership between Uganda and the Aga Khan Development Network, which has poured resources into schools, health services, media, banking and cultural projects across the country.
It was also a day of honors. Museveni awarded the Aga Khan Uganda’s highest civilian distinction, the Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa (Grand Master). The president said the recognition was for the spiritual leader’s “outstanding service to the nation” and his efforts to expand opportunities in health and education.
Princess Zahra Aga Khan, who has overseen much of the network’s work in health and women’s empowerment, received the Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa (Grand Commander).
The Aga Khan had landed in Uganda a day earlier, welcomed at Entebbe International Airport by Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng. Later, at State House in Entebbe, Museveni and First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni received him formally.
During the meeting, the president praised the Aga Khan’s approach. “We appreciate your commitment to private sector-led development,” Museveni said, adding that his government was determined to create conditions that encourage investment and innovation.
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The Aga Khan Development Network already has a deep footprint in Uganda. Its institutions run the gamut from education and health to finance, hospitality, energy and housing. The list includes Aga Khan Health Services, Diamond Trust Bank, Serena Hotels, Jubilee Insurance, the Nation Media Group and Bujagali Power Limited.
For many Ugandans, Thursday’s ceremony symbolized continuity. The Aga Khan has been involved in development projects here for decades, and the expansion of his university and health network suggests the partnership is only growing.
