Aga Khan Development Network: Aga Khan on State Visits to West Africa (23 April to 1 May 2008)

His Highness the Aga Khan and President Abdoulaye Wade in Dakar.
Photo: Gary Otte.His Highness the Aga Khan held meetings with President Abdoulaye Wade at the conclusion of his West African trip. In Senegal, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) operates two economic development projects that provide packaging for agricultural products, metal drums and plastic moulded products.

Côte d’Ivoire
(28 April to 1 May 2008)

President Laurent Gbagbo of the Republic of C�te d'Ivoire meeting with
His Highness the Aga Khan at the Presidential
Palace in Abidjan.
Photo Credit: Gary Otte.Microfinance agency launched: In addition to official meetings, His Highness was in Cote d'Ivoire to launch the Première Agence de Microfinance (PAMF), which is to start operations in the areas of Boundiali and Dianra in northern Côte d’Ivoire. It joins two sister microfinance institutions, in Mali and Burkina Faso, which were launched in 2006. PAMF will serve disadvantaged communities through a network that is expected to grow to over eight branches by 2012. Loans are primarily intended for income-generating activities, and are designed to improve agricultural productivity, acquire livestock and establish small enterprises in rural and urban areas.

Please also see:
Photographs
Lancement d'une agence de microfinance en Côte d'Ivoire
AKDN Projects in Côte d'Ivoire: A profile of the Azitor Energie Project

Burkina Faso (26-28 April 2008)

His Highness the Aga Khan touring the Sosuco sugar factory in Banfora, Burkina Faso. Sosuco, one of the largest employers in the country, is an economic development project of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development.
Photo: Gary Otte.In addition to official meetings with President Blaise Compaoré, His Highness the Aga Khan spoke at a special Aga Khan Award for Architecture seminar in Ouagadougou that was held to celebrate three past Burkinabé recipients of the Award. He also toured the Sosuco sugar factory in Banfora, Burkina Faso. Sosuco, one of the largest employers in the country, is an economic development project of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED).

Please also see:
Photographs
Discours de Son Altesse l’Aga Khan à l’ouverture du séminaire et de l’exposition de l’AKAA
Discours de Son Altesse l'Aga Khan au dîner officiel offert par le Président de la République du Burkina Faso

Mali (23-26 April 2008)

President Amadou Toumani Tour� accompanied the Aga Khan for the inauguration of the Great Mosque of Mopti.Once at risk of collapsing, the Mosque has been stabilised and restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.Cultural Projects: President Amadou Toumani Touré and His Highness the Aga Khan inaugurated the restoration of the Komoguel I Mosque in Mopti and announced the creation of an Urban Park in Bamako. The Aga Khan also reviewed the work on the Djingarey Ber Mosque in Timbuktu as part of the Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) expanded development activities in Mali.