The Protocol of Cooperation was signed by Mawlana Hazar Imam and by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, in the presence of the Honourable Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. The agreement builds on an earlier accord and protocol signed in 1993, and establishes an enhanced framework for collaboration between the Government and the agencies of the AKDN in the areas of social, cultural and economic development.
AKDN has a historic presence in Bangladesh, working for over three decades in early childhood development, pre-tertiary education, and financial services. The Aga Khan Foundation and its partners have delivered early childhood education to over 30 000 children and parents in difficult-to-reach places including urban slums and disaster prone areas. The Aga Khan School, Dhaka, considered one of the leading English-medium schools in the country, offers international quality education to more than 1 200 students. The school, which employs over 100 teachers, all of whom are Bangladeshi nationals, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The AKDN is committed to enhancing substantially its investments in Bangladesh. These include a new Aga Khan Academy in Dhaka, and new facilities for the Aga Khan School that will offer Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) specialisations. AKDN is also a founding shareholder in the Industrial Promotion and Development Company (IPDC), the first private, non-banking financial institution in Bangladesh established in 1981, in partnership with the Government, which remains an important catalyst for industrial development in the country. In addition HBL Bank, majority owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, has five branches in Bangladesh with plans for further expansion.
Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in Bangladesh earlier today for a two-day visit, during which he held talks with the Honourable President of Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the Finance Minister. Hazar Imam also paid tribute to freedom fighters at the National Memorial for Martyrs in Savar and the Bangabadhu Memorial Museum, the former residence of Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Tomorrow, Hazar Imam is expected to meet with the Jamat at the recently opened Ismali Jamatkhana and Centre, for which he laid the foundation during his Golden Jubilee visit to Bangladesh, before departing for India.
