AKDN | Bangladesh

AKDN has been active in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for nearly seven decades, working in areas of early childhood development, pre-tertiary education and financial services within the country.

We established a jute mill industry, which for many years was one of the largest industries in Bangladesh. We launched a venture capital and development organisation and are now the major shareholder in Habib Bank Ltd, providing employment, skills, government revenue and economic growth. We have helped local NGO partners to develop their organisational capacity in key areas such as planning, financial management and gender equality, contributing to a strong civil society that provides a stable basis for participatory development. Our early childhood development (ECD) programmes have reached over 33,000 children and trained about 700 pre-primary teachers.

In 2013, we signed a Protocol of Cooperation with Bangladesh – building off an earlier protocol signed in 1993 – to enhance the collaboration between the country and AKDN in areas of economic, cultural and social development.

The Aga Khan Academy Dhaka, the fourth in the network of Aga Khan Academies, has opened on its award-winning 17-acre campus. The Academy carries forward the legacy of the Aga Khan School, Dhaka – which has been providing high quality education to students in Dhaka for over 30 years – with more than 90 percent of students from the school transitioning to the Academy.