At the opening of the renovated facilities housing AKU's Advanced Nursing Studies (ANS) Programme in February 2002, the Hon. Abel Rwendeire, Minister of Trade and Industry of Uganda, stated, that "the philosophy of AKU is to offer 'excellence' - the establishment should be a yardstick for our standards" and remarked that, "the physical facilities being offered by AKU are of world class." He added, "The future of the health sector in this country and the region as a whole is being underwritten by this type of vital investment in human resource capacity building."

The Hon. Rwendeire, formerly the Minister of State for Higher Education and a long-time campaigner for continuing and higher education for nurses and other health professionals, recalled visiting the University in Pakistan in 1999. He remembered examining the curriculum and being struck by the fact that it offered nurses opportunities to continue their education as they work.

AKU's ANS Programme was developed in response to requests from governments and nursing leaders of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It is operational in Uganda since January 2001 following the accreditation of the University in this country. Preparations for implementation of the programme in Kenya and Tanzania are well advanced. In Uganda, the first students in an 18-month Enrolled Nurse-to-Registered Nurse conversion course will complete their studies in July 2002, whilst those on a 30-month post-Registered Nurse, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme are expected to graduate in 2003. Recognising the value of work experience, the ANS Programme offers a flexible module approach and the community-based curriculum will enable the nurses to function effectively both in the hospital and in the community.

The Hon. Rwendeire described the major regional educational initiative as "an example of long-term investment that will address a critical need in health sector reform in East Africa. It is further evidence of Aga Khan Development Network's (AKDN) commitment to social development in Uganda." "This institution," he continued, "is remarkable for a number of reasons. It brings professional nursing training and tertiary education of the highest international standards here in Uganda with a focus on our own specific needs. The Programme enables working nurses to continue to earn while they learn. Most importantly, it permits the knowledge gained to be readily applied. It also allows both public and private participating health care institutions to benefit from better qualified personnel, eventually enriching the country's professional resource base in one of its neediest sectors." Conducting the Minister and a small group of senior government officials on an informal tour of the premises during operating hours, Imelda Bagambaki, the Programme Academic Head, pointed out that the facility will include a state-of-the-art skills laboratory, a library, lecture space and classrooms, as well as a computer laboratory.

Nurses constitute the largest percentage of health care providers in East Africa and are active at all levels of the health care system, from remote rural centres to sophisticated tertiary care hospitals in urban areas. Recognising that effective reform requires a significant investment in personnel who manage services and provide care, governments are developing plans to improve the competence and confidence of health professionals, especially nurses.

Conceptualised by Aga Khan University School of Nursing in Pakistan, one of South Asia's leading academic and research institutions in the Health Sciences, the ANS Programme will go on to incorporate additional courses that will cater to specifically identified needs such as Education, Management, Accident /Emergency and Disaster Nursing.

Since entering into an Accord of Cooperation for Development with the Government of Uganda in 1992, AKDN has successfully completed a number of endeavours to rehabilitate social development projects, particularly in the area of education. Notable amongst these are the pre-primary, primary and secondary schools and the Enhanced Universal Primary Education in Kampala (EUPEK) resource centre at the Makerere Road complex. AKU's ANS Programme now brings to this same complex, an important higher education component.