The Aga Khan - the spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims - has announced plans to build a major university campus in Arusha, Tanzania.
He said the Sh30.1 billion ($450 million) complex will be developed over the next 15 years.
The Ismaili leader made the announcement at the weekend during a dinner hosted in his honour by Tanzania's president Jakaya Kikwete.
He said the decision to build the Arusha campus represented the biggest expansion move for the Aga Khan University since it opened its first campus in Karachi, Pakistan, nearly 25 years ago.
"We hope that the university will be a source of effective leadership for the East Africa of tomorrow," he said. Arusha is the official seat of the East African Community which includes Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
Development efforts
Mr Kikwete praised the Aga Khan's development efforts in Tanzania and described the decision to build the Arusha campus as "good news for us."
"Your deep attachment to our country has always been a source of pride and inspiration for us," he said.
Tanzania was the second leg of the Aga Khan's trip to East Africa. Last week, he visited Kenya where he announced a US$ 250 million project to create an Aga Khan University faculty of health sciences in Nairobi.
Earlier on Saturday the Aga Khan visited the Island of Zanzibar, home to one of East Africa's oldest Ismaili communities.
On Sunday, the Aga Khan arrived in Uganda's capital, Kampala, where he met President Yoweri Museveni. He was scheduled to return to Tanzania yesterday.