Construction of Aga Khan varsity set to begin in TZ
What you need to know:
- The project is part of a planned $500 million expansion in East Africa by the Aga Khan. It seeks to enrol health sciences and arts students from across the region — notably from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan.
- Senior executives of the EAC who visited the site, situated four kilometres from the heart of the city on Dodoma Road on Friday, were told that all was set for commencement of the project.
- EAC deputy secretary general Jesca Eriyo said the community was eager to see the project materialise for the benefit of the region in areas such as training the youth in various academic disciplines.
Construction of the Aga Khan University campus in Arusha is set to take off soon, its officials have announced.
This will see Arusha — the seat of the East African Community (EAC) and allied regional organisations — playing an additional role as the intellectual, social and political hub of the region.
The project is part of a planned $500 million expansion in East Africa by the Aga Khan. It seeks to enrol health sciences and arts students from across the region — notably from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan.
Senior executives of the EAC who visited the site, situated four kilometres from the heart of the city on Dodoma Road on Friday, were told that all was set for commencement of the project.
The site covers 3,200 acres, of which the potential area for investment rests on 1,700 acres.
EAC deputy secretary general Jesca Eriyo said the community was eager to see the project materialise for the benefit of the region in areas such as training the youth in various academic disciplines.
The project will “identify areas of co-investment and partnerships with locals by engaging civil society groups and other community-based lobbies to build human resource capacity,” she said.
East African Court of Justice president Emmanuel Ugirashebuja thanked the Aga Khan for the success of Aga Khan Foundation projects, adding that the EAC was committed to offer support to ensure the success of the university.
East African Legislative Assembly Speaker Daniel F Kidega said the regional Assembly was keen to enact relevant legislation to anchor the vision of the Aga Khan.
In 2007, the Aga Khan announced plans to build a major university in Arusha, representing the biggest expansion for AKU since it opened its first campus in Karachi, Pakistan, about 25 years ago.
The design plan for the project is currently in its final stages.
