​​Welcome Address

Bismillah ir Rahman ir Rahim

Hamjambo, As salaam wa alaikum and a very good morning to all of you.

Let me begin on a personal note.

It is always a joy to return to a place that feels like home. Dar es Salaam is where I spent many happy years of my life, and it is truly special to be back with you today—especially on a day like this. A day of celebration,  of pride, and possibility. It’s so lovely to see so many of my friends in the audience. 

Ladies and gentlemen, convocation is, of course, a celebration of achievement. But it is much. more than that.

It is a turning point.

It is the moment when learning gives way to responsibility—and when preparation gives way to service.

Today, we honour 133 educators, nurses, midwives, physicians, and media professionals who have reached this moment not by accident, but through discipline, sacrifice, and purpose. Graduands, today you join AKU’s global community of more than 22,000 alumni who are spread across 59 countries, and many of whom are leaders in the organisations that they serve.

Each of you knows what that journey required. Long hours wrestling with ideas and evidence. Late nights when persistence mattered more than inspiration. Time away from families. Distance from home. Doubt, fatigue, and moments of real testing.

But along the way, there were also moments you will never forget—at a patient’s bedside, in a classroom, in a newsroom—moments when theory met human reality. Moments when knowledge stopped being abstract and became deeply personal.

Those moments changed you. Not just in what you know—but in who you are becoming.

It was not easy.

But it was  definitely worth it.

And that brings us to the larger meaning of today.

Convocation invites us to reflect not only on personal journeys, but on a generation now stepping forward—one of the most educated generations in Tanzania’s history.

This is a generation that is inclusive. Digitally fluent. Comfortable with change. Enterprising in Knowlege. You see technology not as disruption, but as opportunity.

At the same time, you are clear-eyed about the world you are inheriting. You worry about poverty and inequality. About access to health care. About climate change. About whether our institutions are keeping pace with a rapidly changing reality.

And most importantly, you  the class of 2025 are not content to be silent observers. You want your voices heard. You want your work to matter.

That is why I am optimistic.

Tanzania’s future will not be shaped by policies and capital alone. It will be shaped by professionals like you—the Class of 2025—who bring integrity, competence, and humility to the noble work of serving the public good.

This belief—that education carries responsibility—is at the heart of the Aga Khan University.

Across Tanzania, East Africa, and beyond, AKU exists for one reason: to improve quality of life. Over the past five years, we have launched 18 new degree programmes - eight of them in East Africa! - and  have grown our student body to more than 4,000 students across our campuses. 

Here in Tanzania, we have expanded nursing education by launching our four-year bachelor’s in nursing, as well as a new master’s in advanced practice nursing. 

From our Postgraduate Medical Education programme, we are proud today to graduate today our first cohort from the paediatrics programme and continue to train much-needed surgeons, and gynecologists, and other medical specialists. 

Our Institute for Educational Development has strengthened teaching and school leadership – both through its programmes in Dar es Salaam, and through its work in Moshi and in Lindi. All this work reflects our belief that the key to progress is sustained investment in people.

Our research ladies and gentlemen reflects the same commitment. For AKU research, 2025 was a year of milestones. 

Twenty-seven of our faculty were ranked among the top two percent of scientists globally! And fifteen of them alumni of AKU. Last year alone, we published more than 1,800 studies in peer-reviewed journals.  That ladies and gentlemen is about five studies a day.

For those seeking solutions to challenges such as malnutrition and infectious disease, gender inequality, and educational disparities, AKU is among the very best places to do this important work. That is why our faculty secured more than one hundred million dollars in research funding last year from global leaders such as the European Research Council, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Wellcome Trust, Gates Foundation—a new, all-time record for the University.

AKU is also working decisively to address climate change and to support vulnerable communities in preparing for life on a warmer planet. Our Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre reflects this commitment. Among its many initiatives are projects that use satellite and drone imaging to detect early signs of drought and help farmers optimise the use of scarce resources.

Of course, AKU is far from the only Aga Khan Development Network agency contributing to Tanzania’s development. The University continues to work closely with the Aga Khan Health Services to build an integrated health system across East Africa. AKDN’s health system includes today five hospitals and 107 health centers across the region, providing care to nearly two million patients annually including 800,000 people here in Tanzania. The opening of the Aga Khan University Hospital in Kampala in 2028 will expand this system further, making it truly region-wide for the first time.

You’ll agree that none of this happens by chance.

So ladies and gentlemen let me pause to acknowledge those who quietly make this work possible.

I am deeply grateful to our faculty—clinicians, scientists, and above all, teachers and mentors—who shape capable and thoughtful women and men of service. I also wish to recognise our exceptional staff. Through your commitment and professionalism, you give life to the University’s mission every day.

I would also like to thank our distinguished members of our Board of Trustees, Justice Othman Chanda and Amin Mawji are with us today. Your presence reflects the care and responsibility with which you guide this institution. I am equally grateful to the donors who have joined us. Your generosity reflects a deep belief in education and health care as forces for good, and so much of what we celebrate today would not be possible without your continuing support. Thank you.

 I must also acknowledge the strong support we continue to receive from the Government of Tanzania, for which we remain very very thankful. 

And odcourse I am deeply grateful to Princess Zahra Aga Khan, our Pro-Chancellor, for the privilege of having her exemplary leadership at the University. Princess Zahra, you have been immensely gracious with your time and counsel, and we want you to know how much we value your engagement and  your support. Thank you. Above all, we express our profound gratitude tO our Chancellor His Highness the Aga Khan, whose vision, guidance, and generosity continue to shape our work and give it meaning. In just a moment, we will have the honor of hearing a video message from His Highness.

Ladies and gentlemen, the work underway across AKU’s campuses and hospitals is already making a meaningful difference. The graduates before us will extend that impact further—and in ways we cannot yet imagine. 

Class of 2025:  let me end where I began—with responsibility.

You leave here with knowledge. But more importantly, you leave here with a calling.

To choose purpose over ease.

Service over self.

Integrity over advantage.

If you do that—consistently, quietly, and with courage—you will not only succeed.

You will matter.

Congratulations once again.

And thank you.