On February 4, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of the Ismailis worldwide, passed away in Lisbon at the age of 89. We decided to recall the projects opened in Tajikistan thanks to him and how he helped ordinary people.
Since 1992, when the civil war was ongoing in Tajikistan, the Aga Khan Foundation began providing food supplies free of charge to the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and other areas of the republic.
During those years, Imam Aga Khan IV visited the republic several times. In 1995, he arrived for the first time in Pamir, accompanied by the President of Tajikistan.
Contribution to development
In the early 1990s, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) started its activities in Tajikistan, within the framework of which a number of socio-economic, educational, and cultural institutions were established. He is the founder and president of the eponymous University in Pakistan, as well as the University of Central Asia, whose campuses opened in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.
The Aga Khan Foundation built seven bridges connecting Tajikistan and Afghanistan across the Panj River. Five of them are located in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and one connects the Shamsiddin-Shohin district in the Khatlon province with the Afghan district of Khohon. These bridges contribute to regional economic development and strengthen ties between the two countries.
Pamir Energy Open Joint-Stock Company is a public company, 70% of whose shares are owned by the Aga Khan Foundation for Economic Development (AKFED) through the Pamir Invest company, and 30% of the shares belong to the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The Foundation also participated in the construction of a section of the Murgab-Kulma road leading to China and Pakistan, the establishment of the First Microfinance Bank in Tajikistan, and the construction and opening of the 5-star Serena Hotel in Dushanbe.
The Aga Khan Foundation launched the mobile company Tcell, which is now the leading mobile operator in Tajikistan.
In 2009, the Ismaili Centre was built in Dushanbe.
In the field of education, the Aga Khan Foundation, together with the government of Tajikistan and other partners, founded the University of Central Asia (UCA). The UCA campus in Khorog provided students with modern educational programs and contributed to the development of human capital in the region.
The Aga Khan Foundation's development plans included building lyceums in Ishkashim, Shugnan, Rushan, and another one in Dushanbe, as well as an Aga Khan Academy. The Foundation is also investing in the construction of the Sebzor hydroelectric power station in Roshtkala and plans to invest in the Sanobod hydroelectric station in the Rushan district.
In February 2024, the Aga Khan Foundation, together with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), announced the winners of grants from the Regional Climate Change Fund. The selected projects were aimed at promoting solar energy technologies in agriculture.
Together with USAID, the Aga Khan Foundation implemented the "Prosperity of Tajikistan" program, which aimed to improve the quality of life for more than 190,000 people in 16 districts of the Khatlon region and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
The program included areas such as access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare, education, and energy services.
Nationalization of institutions
In recent years, there has been a trend in Tajikistan towards the reduction of international funds and non-governmental organizations operating in the country. Several institutions connected to the Aga Khan network were transferred to the state or nationalized.
The Aga Khan Lyceum in Khorog became a state institution in 2023, the Central Park of Culture and Recreation in Khorog was transferred to state ownership in 2022, and the Serena Hotel in Khorog also became state-owned.
The nationalization of the University of Central Asia (UCA) has not yet been officially confirmed. According to unofficial data, the cooperation agreement with AKDN has not been renewed.
AKDN started its activities in Tajikistan in 1992, implementing projects in the fields of healthcare, education, business, finance, and culture.
Around 3,500 people worked in the structures of this organization in the country. From 1995 to 2018, AKDN invested $1 billion in Tajikistan's development, financing large-scale projects and initiatives.
