Mawlana Shah Karim's Golden Jubilee visit to West Africa (English)

His Highness The Aga Khan’s four-country Golden Jubilee visit to West Africa began in Mali where he was received by President His Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré. Accompanied by Prince Rahim and Prince Hussain, The Aga Khan visited Mali’s capital, Bamako, as well as the cities of Mopti and Timbuktu. In Bamako, The Aga Khan was awarded the Grand Cross of the National Order of Mali at a state dinner held in the Imam’s honour. He also met with a number of Government ministers and announced the creation of an Urban Park in Bamako, to be developed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). In Mopti, The Aga Khan and President Touré jointly inaugurated the newly-restored Great Mosque of Mopti, an AKTC project. In Timbuktu, The Aga Khan visited the Djingarey Ber Mosque, another AKTC conservation project and received an honorary degree from the University of Sankoré as well as an Honorary Citizenship to the Community of Timbuktu. From Mali, The Aga Khan traveled to Burkina Faso where he met with His Excellency President Blaise Compaoré and government ministers to review the work of the Aga Khan Development Network in the country. The Aga Khan also opened a seminar in Ouagadougou held to celebrate national recipients of the Aga Khan Award of Architecture and traveled with Prince Rahim to visit the Sosuco sugar plant in Banfora, which is operated by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development. Thereafter, The Aga Khan and Prince Rahim travelled to Côte d’lvoire, where they met with His Excellency President Laurent Gbagbo. The Aga Khan and President Gbagbo presided over the signing ceremony to establish the Première Agence de Microfinance in Côte d’Ivoire. The Aga Khan and Prince Rahim also visited Filtisac Côte d’Ivoire — a manufacturer of jute, polypropylene and polyethylene bags for the agricultural trade. Filtisac is one of the oldest entities of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development in the region, and The Aga Khan was present at its opening in 1965. The final country of the West Africa visit was Senegal where The Aga Khan held talks with His Excellency President Abdoulaye Wade.