Mawlana Hazar Imam met today with His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to discuss current and future collaboration in Egypt, exploring ways to strengthen partnerships that benefit local communities and advance development. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Luis Monreal, General Manager of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, also attended the meeting.
President Sisi congratulated Hazar Imam on assuming leadership of the Ismaili community earlier this year and expressed his appreciation for the historic role of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in the country, noting its decades-long partnership with the state in improving living standards, strengthening services and preserving Egypt’s rich Islamic heritage.
Hazar Imam expressed his gratitude to the President and pride in his first official visit to the country, and reaffirmed AKDN’s commitment to Egypt and to expanding support in education, agriculture and climate adaptation, especially in Upper Egypt. He also pointed to opportunities to adapt AKDN’s urban and environmental revitalisation work in Cairo for other contexts, including Aswan.
Following his meeting with the President, Hazar Imam paid a courtesy call on the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed El-Tayeb. In welcoming Hazar Imam, the Grand Imam noted the historical ties and the shared values linking Al-Azhar and the Ismaili Imamat. Their discussions explored opportunities for future dialogue between Al-Azhar and AKDN’s educational and cultural institutions.
The two leaders also explored ways institutions can collaborate with compassion and knowledge to promote peace and understanding amid crises affecting the Ummah and wider society.
