Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, died in Lisbon on February 4, 2025, at the age of 88, accompanied by his family. Davos [Switzerland], February 5.

The 88-year-old Karim Al-Hussaini founded the Aga Khan Development Network and served as its chairman.

The selection process for his successor will soon begin, according to the Aga Khan Development Network.

The network’s leaders and employees have expressed their sympathies to the Ismaili community throughout the globe as well as to Prince Karim Aga Khan’s family.

In a post to X, Aga Khan Development Network said, “As we honour the legacy of our founder, Prince Karim Aga Khan, we continue to work with our partners to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities across the world, as he wished, irrespective of their religious affiliations or origins.”

According to its official website, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is committed to enhancing the lives of people who are less fortunate, primarily in Asia and Africa.

The Development Network presently runs more than 1,000 programs and institutions, many of which are over 60 years old, and some of which are over 100 years old. It operates in more than 30 countries worldwide.

The vast majority of the 96,000 members of the AKDN are headquartered in underdeveloped nations. About USD 1 billion is allocated each year for non-profit development initiatives.

Although the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, the AKDN’s economic development arm, brings in USD 4 billion annually, all of the money made by its project companies is put back into more development initiatives, typically in remote, fragile, or post-conflict areas.