The head of the Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, has agreed to send a medical convoy to Nigeria, the first of its kind to be dispatched by the institution to Africa.

The convoy will comprise 10 surgeons, whose fees would be paid by Al-Azhar, in addition to some medical supplies donated by pharmaceutical companies," said Abdel Daiem Nossier, Al-Azhar's head consultant for educational and cultural affairs.

The religious institution is also planning to assist the victims of floods in Pakistan this month by building schools and rebuilding some of the villages destroyed by last July's floods.