KAMPALA, UGANDA – In a momentous event hailed as a significant milestone for higher education and healthcare in East Africa, the Aga Khan University (AKU) has officially inaugurated its new 60-acre campus in Kampala. The ceremony, held in the Nakawa area, was presided over by His Highness the Aga Khan and President of Uganda, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The new campus, a historic first full-scale development for AKU outside of its founding country of Pakistan, represents one of the largest investments the university has made in the region. The project, which was made possible by the generous provision of land by the Government of Uganda, features a seven-story University Centre, a nine-story student housing building, and the four-story Nakawa Specialty Medical Centre.
The inauguration ceremony also marked the official commencement of construction for the Aga Khan University Hospital, Kampala. The 101-bed facility, once completed, is set to provide tertiary medical care in two dozen specialties, aiming to reduce the need for Ugandans to seek advanced medical treatment abroad.
During the event, President Museveni conferred Uganda’s highest civilian honor, the Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa (Grand Master), upon His Highness the Aga Khan, in recognition of his distinguished service and leadership in advancing social and economic development in the country.
The new campus will initially be home to 100 faculty and 700 students, with the first cohort of the new four-year Bachelor of Nursing Science program set to begin classes later this month. This program is a direct-entry offering for students straight from Senior Six, complementing AKU’s existing part-time degree programs for working nurses and midwives.
AKU officials emphasized that the new campus will serve as an anchor for research and education programs for doctors, nurses, allied healthcare professionals, educators, and journalists. The university’s Vice Chancellor and President, Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, stated that the new facilities will enable AKU to train physicians and launch postgraduate medical education in many needed fields such as surgery and cardiology for the first time in Uganda.
The establishment of the campus is a collaborative effort, with funding provided by the Aga Khan, generous donors, and the Government of Germany’s BMZ and KfW. The investment is seen as a fulfillment of a shared vision between the Aga Khan Development Network and the Ugandan government to strengthen the country’s health and education systems and provide world-class opportunities for its citizens.
