Ghana’s First Lady, Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, has praised Merck Foundation for its outstanding contri­bution to healthcare delivery in Africa and Ghana.

The First Lady was speaking at the opening of the 7th Edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit 2025, held in Dubai.

• First Lady Lordina Mahama

The summit brought together 14 First Ladies from across Africa and Asia, including Ghana, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Nigeria, Mozam­bique, Maldives, Liberia, Kenya, The Gambia, Gabonese Republic, Central African Republic, Cabo Verde, and Angola.

The annual gathering aims to strengthen healthcare systems, pro­mote girl-child education, and fight stigma surrounding infertility and other pressing health challenges.

In her address, Mrs Mahama commended Merck Foundation’s initiatives, especially the talent development programmes that had supported 110 Ghanaian youth in areas such as music, ICT, filmmaking, and fashion.

She said the programme had given many young people a new sense of purpose and belief in their God-giv­en talents.

Ghana’s First Lady also acknowl­edged the strong partnership between Merck Foundation and the Lordina Foundation, pledging to deepen their collaboration to enhance access to health and education in Ghana.

She further emphasised the need for unity in championing the rights and welfare of women and children, stressing that collective action is key to building inclusive and healthier societies.

“When compassion meets exper­tise, real change happens. We must carry this spirit home and work even harder to build more inclusive societ­ies,” she added.

The Chief Executive Officer of Merck Foundation, Senator Dr Rasha Kelej, highlighted the significant strides the foundation had made in healthcare training.

She announced that Merck Foun­dation had awarded 2,270 scholar­ships to doctors from 52 countries in Africa and some in Asia.

According to her, the scholarships covered 44 critical and underserved specialties, including oncology, diabetes, fertility care, hypertension, internal medicine, clinical psychiatry, dermatology, and trauma care.

Dr Kelej noted that in many coun­tries, these scholarship beneficiaries had become the first specialists in their fields, transforming access to medical care in underserved areas.

She added that these doctors treat­ed more than 1,000 patients month­ly, especially in rural communities, where access to specialist care was previously non-existent.

Dr Kelej said that nearly 1,000 scholarships had been awarded to girls in 17 countries, in partnership with First Ladies.

The Chair of the Merck Founda­tion Board of Trustees, Professor Dr Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, said Merck Foundation’s vision was root­ed in building healthcare capacity and empowering women and youth.

According to him, some countries had only one or no medical school at all, while the continent bears 24 per cent of the global disease burden with just 2.9 healthcare workers per 1,000 people.

He expressed pride in the achieve­ments made through the scholarship program, noting that it had brought lasting change to healthcare delivery in many countries that previously had no experts in fields like Inten­sive Care Unit, oncology, or fertility

From: AGNES OPOKU SARPONG, Dubai – Al Habtoor City.