Mozambique: Heads of State inaugurate Aga Khan Academy, applaud partnership

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Mozambique: Heads of State inaugurate Aga Khan Academy, applaud partnership

11:58 CAT | 21 Mar 2022

Photo: Lusa

At the inauguration of the Aga Khan academy in Matola, Maputo province, the presidents of Mozambique and Portugal on Saturday applauded the partnership that both countries maintain with the Ismaili Muslim community.

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi even suggested that, after opening a school, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) might invest in a hospital, in order to fill the gaps in the country’s health provision.

“Even if it’s only a third [the size] of this school,” the head of state said at the opening ceremony attended by Prince Rahim Aga Khan, son of the community’s spiritual head and leader of the AKDN, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.

Whether in education, agriculture, tourism or the textile industry, some of its areas of activity in Mozambique, partnerships with the international Ismaili community are the result of “good relations” bearing fruit, President Nyusi said.

Stressing that investment in “human capital” means a more prosperous Mozambique, the president announced that the current agreement between the community and the Mozambican state would soon be renewed.

In his address, the Portuguese president praised “the vision of His Highness the Aga Khan”, the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, and his “message of humanism and fraternity”.

“I often carry with me a quote from the Koran, which says: ‘Your Lord’s gifts come to everyone, your Lord’s gifts will not be withheld from anyone’. It is an openness to all religions, to the non-religious, to all positions, in all parts of the world,” De Sousa added.

“There are millions of children and young people around the world who cannot attend an academy like this,” the Portuguese head of state told students of the academy. “You have to respond in the best possible way to this opportunity, which others don’t enjoy.”

“And then, [you have to be] the best in building Mozambique, a Mozambique open to all religions, to those who have no religion, to all opinions, to all dreams, to all projects for the future. That is your duty,” he said.

Prince Rahim Aga Khan pointed out to students that “the future is what they leave behind”. Their actions, choices and decisions will shape times to come, just as he sees the “great friendship” between the Ismaili community, Mozambique and Portugal.

Saturday’s inauguration marked the completion of the non-profit day school and residential school facilities and, above all, “the strengthening of the partnership between the Ismaili Imamat and the Republic of Mozambique” the organization stresses.

“The objective of the Maputo Aga Khan Academy is to develop national leaders with a strong sense of ethics and civic responsibility, contributing to the future of Mozambique,” a project presentation reads.

The education offered ranges from pre-school to 12th grade, with an International Baccalaureate curriculum. The school will see its first high school graduates in 2023.

Equipped with numerous support structures on a 22-hectare ‘campus’ in Matola, on the outskirts of Maputo, the Aga Khan Academy has 90 teachers and a maximum capacity of 750 students, half of whom will attend on bursaries. There are boarding places for 300 students.

At a special event held earlier today, the @AKAcademies #Maputo was inaugurated by Filipe Nyusi, President of #Mozambique, and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of #Portugal, in the presence of Prince Rahim. Read more at https://t.co/7ezGkunE3r #AgaKhan #Ismaili #AKDN pic.twitter.com/RJ61EoFq1t

— The Ismaili (@TheIsmaili) March 20, 2022