About the Aga Khan Development Network

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) focuses on health, education, culture, rural development, institution-building and the promotion of economic development. It is dedicated to improving living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to their faith, origin or gender.

Frequent questions about the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Frequent Questions
The agencies of the AKDN are private, international, non-denominational development organisations. They work to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa. Some programmes, such as specific research, education and cultural programmes, span both the developed and developing worlds. While each agency pursues its own mandate, all of them work together within the overarching framework of the Network so that their different pursuits interact and reinforce one another. For more information, please see Frequent Questions.

Organisational Chart of the Aga Khan Development Network Organisational Information
The AKDN works in over 25 countries around the world. It employs approximately 60,000 people, the majority of whom are based in developing countries. The AKDN’s annual budget for non-profit development activities in 2008 was approximately US$ 450 million. The project companies of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development generate annual revenues of US$ 1.5 billion (all surpluses are reinvested in further development activities). For more information, please see the Organisational Chart.

About the AKDN AKDN’s Approach to Development
Founded and guided by His Highness the Aga Khan, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) brings together a number of development agencies, institutions, and programmes that work primarily in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa. While each institution pursues its own mandate, all work together within the overarching framework of the Network so that their different pursuits interact and reinforce one another. More information

About His Highness the Aga Khan About His Highness the Aga Khan, Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network
His Highness the Aga Khan, the founder and chairman of the AKDN, is the 49th hereditary Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. In Islam’s ethical tradition, religious leaders not only interpret the faith but also have a responsibility to help improve the quality of life in their community and in the societies amongst which they live. For His Highness the Aga Khan, this has meant a deep engagement with development for over 50 years through the agencies of the AKDN.
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