President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi today received Prince Rahim Aga Khan, Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, in the presence of Dr. Badr Abdel Aati, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, and Louis Monreal, Director General of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

The official spokesperson for the presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shenawy, stated that the president began the meeting by congratulating Prince Rahim Aga Khan on assuming his position earlier this year, praising the contributions of his late father, Prince Karim Aga Khan, in leading the activities of the Aga Khan Development Network and its active role in promoting development worldwide, especially in social, economic, and environmental fields, alongside efforts to preserve Islamic cultural heritage.

The spokesperson added that the president expressed his appreciation for the historic role played by the Aga Khan Development Network in Egypt for decades, through a developmental partnership that has supported the state’s efforts to achieve sustainable development, improve living standards and services in several areas, as well as its contribution to projects preserving Egypt’s historic Islamic heritage.

The spokesperson mentioned that the president highlighted the key national initiatives implemented under Egypt’s Vision 2030, aiming to achieve comprehensive development and improve basic services, including the “Decent Life” initiative, “100 Million Health” campaign, and “Beginning for Human Development” initiative, which focus on investing in human capacity building, enhancing professional skills, and empowering citizens to actively participate in and benefit from development efforts. The meeting also discussed efforts to rehabilitate and develop several Egyptian neighborhoods and restore their historic landmarks in line with their archaeological significance, as well as exploring cooperation prospects between both sides in these areas.

The spokesperson noted that Prince Rahim Aga Khan expressed his deep appreciation for the president and Egypt’s regional and international standing, affirming his pride in his first official visit to the country and the Aga Khan Development Network’s keenness to continue enhancing fruitful cooperation with the Egyptian government and expanding its efforts to support the state’s comprehensive development endeavors, particularly in education, agriculture, and enhancing climate change adaptation capacity, especially in Upper Egypt. He pointed out the importance of benefiting from the Aga Khan Development Network’s work in Cairo in urban and environmental revitalization to apply it in different contexts.

He also praised Egypt’s tangible progress in human development programs, emphasizing that investing in human capital is a fundamental pillar for achieving prosperity and sustainable growth.