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Aga Khan: Prime Minister recalls founder of a network “always with Mozambique”
6:27 CAT | 05 Feb 2025
Image: Rádio Moçambique
Mozambican prime minister Benvinda Levi lamented the death of Prince Karim Aga Khan in statements to Lusa today, highlighting the legacy of the founder of a network that “was always with Mozambique”, especially in supporting those affected by terrorism in Cabo Delgado.
“We are very saddened, the relationship between Mozambique and the Aga Khan Network is long-standing and very positive. They were with us even in the worst moments of our history. The network was always with Mozambique. We are sad and have already expressed our condolences,” Benvinda Levi told Lusa.
The prime minister highlighted the importance of the Aga Khan Network’s projects in Cabo Delgado, a province in the north of the country that has been ravaged by incursions by rebel groups since 2017.
“Especially when terrorism began in Cabo Delgado, they were among the few who remained on the ground, carrying out their activities and supporting the population. They continue to this day,” he added.
The network’s main projects in Mozambique are focused on the education, health, infrastructure and industry sectors, operating mainly in Cabo Delgado, with a cooperation agreement signed in 1998.
Among the main projects is the MozTex company, a Aga Khan Network investment which has been seeking, for the past 15 years, to revitalize the textile industry in Mozambique, a sector in which the country was once the “giant” in southern Africa.
In total, the Aga Khan Network invested more than US$6 million (€5.7 million at current exchange rates) rebuilding the factory, but the main challenge has always been linked to the workforce, which had to be trained, with the company having trained 1,300 employees.
Today, with a presence on the international market, MozTex produces 5.8 million items of clothing annually, exported mainly to South Africa.
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Prince Karim Aga Khan, founder and president of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), and leader of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims, died on Tuesday (04-02) in Lisbon, aged 88, an official source from the Ismaili Imamate confirmed to Lusa.
Shah Karim al Hussaini, Prince Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, was born in Switzerland, grew up and studied in Kenya and the United States, and has connections to Canada, Iran and France, and in recent years also to Portugal, with the choice of Lisbon as the world headquarters of the Ismaili community, making it a reference for the approximately 15 million Muslims of the Shiite minority.
Discreet, considered one of the richest people in the world, Aga Khan IV was born on December 13, 1936 in Switzerland, the son of Prince Aly Khan and Princess Tajuddawlah Aly Khan. He grew up in Kenya, attended Le Rosey School in Switzerland for nine years, and later graduated from Harvard in the United States.
He defined himself as an “optimist but cautious”, someone who, although not a businessman, learned to be one, who believed that poverty exists but is not inevitable. According to his friends, he never drank or smoked and dedicated much of his time to work and visiting the community.
Married twice, he had four children, one of whom is likely to be his successor.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is active in Portugal and abroad in the areas of culture, fashion and festivals, education, supporting universities, the environment, helping to preserve sites, social issues, sustainability and health.
His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), passed away peacefully in Lisbon on 4 February 2025, aged 88, surrounded by his family. Prince Karim Aga Khan… pic.twitter.com/bxOyR0TyZr
— Aga Khan Development Network (@akdn) February 4, 2025
Source: Lusa
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