“Your ability to make life better for more people around the globe has never been a greater possibility,” said Princess Zahra, who spoke on behalf of AKU’s founder and Chancellor, Mawlana Hazar Imam, and the Board of Trustees. “New tools, techniques, and technologies now exist that were the stuff of dreams only a few years ago and there are far greater opportunities today to collaborate across borders and languages than ever before.”

At ceremonies in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Pakistan, the graduates were awarded degrees in 22 fields in nursing, medicine, education, journalism, and the study of Muslim civilisations. Almost 70 percent of the members of the Class of 2023 are women. 

The University’s guests of honour included Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, Ezekiel Machogu; Jan Sadek, Ambassador of the European Union to Uganda; Omari Issa, Chancellor of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania; and Sabina Khatri, Founder of the Karachi-based Kiran Foundation. 

AKU began its 40th anniversary commemorations on 16 March 2023. In Nairobi, Princess Zahra detailed some of the many achievements that have made the University’s 40th year one of the most consequential in its history. Four new academic programmes welcomed their first students, increasing total enrollment to more than 3,600 for the first time in the University’s history. These are the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in Karachi, the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery programme in Nairobi and the four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing programmes in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. 

Construction also began on the University’s new 60-acre campus in Uganda, which will feature an academic centre, student housing and a new Aga Khan University Hospital, the first AKU has built from scratch since 1985. In Nairobi, the Aga Khan University Hospital implemented East Africa’s first integrated electronic health records system, while in Tanzania, the University launched the Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre. 

“We are hopeful that these new and continuing programmes and facilities will make AKU an increasingly powerful platform for the education of leaders, the creation of relevant knowledge, and the delivery of world-class education and health care,” Princess Zahra said. 

In his keynote address, Secretary Machogu paid tribute to Mawlana Hazar Imam’s continued commitment to Kenya through AKU and the wider AKDN: “​​The institutions he has built in education, health care, finance, hospitality, media, manufacturing, infrastructure and other fields are pillars of their industries and an integral part of our social and economic fabric,” he said.

“You could wake up and read the news, drop off your children at school, visit the doctor, go to work, and stop at the bank on your way home – all without ever leaving the Network’s institutions,” he added. “I am very glad to have this opportunity to publicly thank His Highness for all that he has done over many decades to support Kenya’s development and improve quality of life.”

AKU President and Vice Chancellor Sulaiman Shahabuddin called the day a “crowning moment” for graduates. Noting that the University has awarded nearly 20,000 diplomas, degrees and postgraduate certificates to date, he said: “The Swahili saying has never been more apt: Furaha hukolea mkiwa wengi. ‘Joy has flavour when you are many.’ Today we are many, and we have much to celebrate.”  

President Shahabuddin outlined the University’s plans for the future, which are contained in its new five-year strategic plan. They include launching close to a dozen new degree programmes in fields ranging from data science to teacher education; enhancing research capacity in mental health, climate change and other disciplines; expanding the AKU health system; deepening the University’s partnerships with public and private institutions at home and abroad; and continuing to earn new forms of academic and health care accreditation from leading international organisations.  

“That AKU has been able to achieve so much across its four decades is above all thanks to its founder, and Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan,” President Shahabuddin said. “His Highness’s vision continues to guide and continually inspire us with the strength to make bold decisions that keep AKU at the forefront of innovation, quality and impact.”

In total, 391 students graduated in Pakistan and 332 in East Africa, including 159 in Kenya, 106 in Uganda and 67 in Tanzania. Eleven students graduated from the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London. 

“This campus community has instilled in us service, the value of mentorship, and that barriers can, and should be broken,” said Dr Susan Cheruiyot, global valedictorian from Kenya. “To the entire faculty and those who create an enabling learning environment, we cannot thank you enough; you have held our hand and offered us a launch pad.”

“AKU has prepared us to face challenges with agility, perseverance, and courage,” added Javeria Tariq, global valedictorian from Pakistan. “Each of us carries the legacy within. With a diploma in hand and a burning passion in our hearts, together, let’s illuminate the world.”