Partnerships between like-minded institutions can have enormous benefits - for scaling up proven programmes, reinforcing programme elements and, not least, for sharing best practices. For example, a group that is innovative but inexperienced in scaling up a project can call on another organisation’s expertise. In Aswan, Egypt, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has partnered with the Ministries of Education and Social Solidarity to introduce early childhood development (ECD) programmes. Building on AKF’s experience in ECD in both Africa and Asia, the partnership is looking to find ways to boost pre-school enrolments, which are low due to the inability of poor families to afford the annual tuition. Partnerships are critical for area development projects that often start with experimentation but then reach a level of maturity at which they can expand. In many instances, AKDN agencies have partnered with other local and international agencies to engage their specific expertise to move projects forward, or to pool financial resources for the wider expansion of a successful programme. AKDN has also signed strategic agreements and protocols with governments, bilateral and multilateral organisations and non-state actors.