Partnership to provide equitable access to an international standard of education in Mozambique

His Highness the Aga Khan, Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and Rémy Rioux, Director-General of the French Development Agency (AFD), today presided over the signing of a loan agreement for US$25 million to finance the construction of the Aga Khan Academy Maputo.  

The agreement will expand provision of high quality education to develop future leaders and train teachers, supporting economic and social development in Mozambique. It will provide opportunities for talented girls and boys to access primary and secondary education, regardless of their socio-economic background. A unique talent identification system, as well as student scholarships, allows the Aga Khan Academy to offer a large number of students from lower income families the opportunity to access quality education.

This loan, coupled with an investment of US$33 million by the AKDN, will enable the construction of the campus for the Aga Khan Academy Maputo, together with state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities and equipment. In parallel, the construction of apartments for faculty and for rent will help support over $60 million of financial aid to be disbursed over the next 20 years.

The student body of more than 750 girls and boys from kindergarten to grade 12 will benefit from facilities that will include classrooms, science laboratories, libraries, lecture and work-study rooms for teacher professional development, administration offices, students’ residences, dining and kitchen facilities, an amphitheatre, and sport and arts facilities. The campus will also be equipped with advanced IT infrastructure.

 “This project responds to AFD’s objectives for development in the education sector through pilot projects that aim for academic excellence, social inclusion and strategic partnerships with France. For AFD, this is the first financing agreement in the field of education with AKDN,” commented Laurence Breton-Moyet, Executive Director in Charge of Operations, who signed the agreement on behalf of AFD. “This project will lead the way to greater collaboration between the two organisations in education related projects, representing a new dimension to the partnership agreement signed between France and the AKDN on 9 December 2008. The Aga Khan Academies are very innovative; these schools are focused on educating future public, private and civil society leaders who can support the development of a democratic, tolerant and pluralistic society,” she went on to explain.

A strong component of the Academy’s programme is its emphasis on the professional development of teachers from Mozambique and the region. Also under the agreement, the Aga Khan Academy Maputo will provide support to the national education system through training activities targeting teachers, school leaders, parents and professionals within the Ministry of Education. In addition, students will be bi-lingual or tri-lingual (English, Portuguese and French).

Mhamud Charania, Chairman of the Aga Khan Education Services, Mozambique, signed the agreement on behalf of the AKDN.

“AFD’s participation in this project confirms our belief in the value of investing significant resources in educating students with exceptional intellectual ability to the highest levels of achievement,” said Salim Bhatia, Director of Academies. “It is our intention to offer a distinctive, relevant and internationally validated education where girls and boys develop a strong sense of civic duty and capability to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of their societies,” he added.

 The AFD, as France’s main agency for development, has developed a fruitful relationship with the AKDN on a number of projects. The two organisations have worked together for almost 20 years. Proparco (an affiliate of AFD focussing on the private sector) has mainly financed economic development projects (especially in the infrastructure, tourism and banking sectors), and AFD has focussed on social development projects in the areas of health, education and financial inclusion.

Grégory Clemente, Director-General of Proparco, has equally committed to continue to develop projects with the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, in the energy sector in Africa and Asia, in tourism and in the financial sector.