The Nation (Nairobi)
November 23, 2005
Posted to the web November 23, 2005
Nation Correspondent
Nairobi
A delegation of senior corporate executives, educationalists and journalists from Canada visited Aga Khan Development Network projects in Kenya and Tanzania to assess the scope for alleviating poverty through education.
They were accompanied by Mr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, the President of the Aga Khan University.
Mr Jim Gray , the chairman of the Canada West Foundation, with Mr Anil Ishani , the chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network in East Africa and Mr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, the President of the Aga Khan University during a dinner held in at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi when a Canadian delegation visited the country.
Photo/Correspondent
This month's Kenya and Tanzania tour followed a visit to Pakistan in December of last year for a briefing on Aga Khan University and the network's education and community health projects in that country.
Interest in the network's education schemes has been generated by a previous meeting in Calgary between Shamsh Kassim-Lakha and Jim Gray, the Chairman of the Canada West Foundation who expressed concern about the gap between the rich and the poor in the 21st Century.
The Canadian delegation was hosted to a dinner at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi where Mr Jim Gray said, "Rather than simply continuing to do a little for a lot of underdeveloped nations, I have been considering the value of focusing a lot of assistance on a carefully selected partner country."
"This focused approach might serve as an example of the benefits of accelerated assistance to others, hopefully to emulate.
The programme would be undertaken with appropriate partners and would be funded and supported primarily by Canadian business. Mr Kassim-Lakha said he hoped that after the assessment made during the study tour the Canadian delegation will link with network and the Aga Khan University to combat poverty in East Africa.