News
Step up efforts to address Africa’s health, social challenges —First Lady
Ghana’s First Lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, has urged fellow First Ladies to step up efforts in addressing Africa’s health and social challenges through collaboration, compassion, and innovation.
She said this at the 2025 Merck Foundation Africa First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Platform in Dubai on Wednesday.
According to her, African leaders needed to combine passion with expertise and forge strong public-private partnerships to build healthier and more inclusive societies across the continent.
“Africa must aspire to greatness by uniting public and private efforts, combining passion with expertise, and ensuring that every life, no matter how remote or marginalised, can flourish,” she emphasised.
Mrs Mahama highlighted the positive impact of the Merck Foundation Talent Programme in Ghana, which has empowered 110 young people in the creative sector including music, ICT, filmmaking, and fashion.
group photograph
flanked by the Ghanaian team
plesantries with one of the first lady
CEO of Merck Foundation
Senator Dr Rasha Kelej
She noted that such initiatives help the youth discover their potential and pursue excellence.
Expressing deep appreciation to the Merck Foundation, she commended its 30 years of support, describing it as a legacy of empowering communities to “heal, dream, and rise.”
She pledged continued collaboration through the Lordina Foundation in order to improve healthcare, promote education, and combat stigma in Ghana. “Our partnership with you will deliver a lot to the benefit of our people,” she affirmed.
Joined by 16 other African First Ladies, Mrs Mahama praised the Foundation’s efforts in transforming public health, advancing girls’ education, and strengthening media across the continent. “We must raise our voices and break the silence so that every woman recognises her worth and every child grows in dignity and health,” she urged.
The Merck Foundation CEO, Senator Rasha Kelej, shared that over 2,270 scholarships had been awarded to doctors from 52 countries in 44 underserved specialties.
These include oncology, fertility, diabetes, hypertension, internal medicine, reproductive health, pediatric emergency care, critical care, rheumatology, urology, psychiatry, ophthalmology, trauma and orthopedics, dermatology and palliative care, among others.
ACCORDING to Senator Kelej, many of the recipients have become the first specialists in their countries, serving patients who previously had no access to such expertise.
Additionally, about 1,000 girls have benefited from scholarships across 17 countries in partnership with African First Ladies.
Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, cited a World Health Organisation (WHO) report showing Africa’s 24 per cent of the global disease burden but has only 2.91 healthcare workers per 1,000 people.
He noted that Merck Foundation’s programmes have helped close the gap, particularly in critical areas such as oncology and fertility care, where many countries previously had no specialists.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested three men believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate responsible for abducting a 42-year-old man in Wapuli, a community in the Yendi District.
The suspects, Haruna Seidu, Amidu Bandi and Osman Bandi allegedly kidnapped the victim and demanded GH¢100,000 from his family for his release.
According to a police statement, officers from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate were deployed to Wapuli after the incident was reported.
The team conducted surveillance and launched a rescue operation.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, police successfully rescued the victim and arrested the suspects after what was described as an intense exchange of gunfire.
The suspects were later taken into custody and are expected to be arraigned before court.
The Police said the a fourth suspect, who is believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the operation, is currently on the run.
They urged the public to provide any information that may lead to his arrest.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong advocates Bold educational reforms at the UK House of Lords during Global Education Summit.
On November 27 2025, global development leaders, policymakers, education experts and civil society organisations gathered at the UK Parliament’s House of Lords for the Global Education Summit hosted by The Baroness Verma of Leicester and organised by the African British Business Forum.
The high-level event focused on the global rise in out-of-school children and the urgent reforms required to deliver equitable, quality education for all.
Among the distinguished Speakers was Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, Founder & President of Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) and General Manager of the EIB Network, who delivered a compelling address on the theme “Breaking Barriers: Empowering Out-of-School Children Through Education.”
In her remarks, Nana Yaa who is currently celebrating 26years of Service in the Media, emphasized that education must be viewed as essential national infrastructure, not charity.
Borrowing experiences from her 18 years of empowering women and young people, she presented a strong case on how Africa’s poor educational systems tie into the poor state of its Gender Equality gap.
According to her, unlocking access to education is one of the most effective ways to strengthen economies, empower women and young girls, build resilient communities and drive sustainable development.
She highlighted that each child excluded from learning represents deferred innovation, delayed opportunity and a weakened society.
Nana Yaa noted that the barriers keeping millions of children out of school are complex and interconnected—ranging from poverty and cultural norms to geographical isolation and digital exclusion.
Addressing these challenges, she argued, requires solutions that are equally comprehensive and multi-layered.
Nana Yaa stressed that girls remain disproportionately affected, and investing in girls’ education has a transformative impact across several Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, poverty reduction, health outcomes and climate resilience.
Nana Yaa advocated for the expansion of flexible, inclusive and community-responsive educational models, such as mobile classrooms for remote and nomadic communities, community learning hubs, after-hours programmes for working children, radio-based instruction for low-tech areas and digital platforms designed to reach learners regardless of connectivity challenges.
She warned that without deliberate action, the digital divide would continue to widen, pushing already vulnerable children further to the margins.
During her presentation, she introduced three major reforms WiSA is seeking Partners for, aimed at reshaping educational access across Africa and beyond.
These are the Digital Bridge for Out-of-School Children (DBOC), the Community Education Stewardship Hubs (CESH) involving local women educators and youth volunteers and the Teen-focused Global Skills Accelerator for Out-of-School Teens (GSA-OT).
She also underscored the need for education systems that support instruction, inclusivity and healing, particularly for children experiencing autism, trauma, displacement or conflict.
Nana Yaa emphasised that emotional and psychological support must be integrated into educational frameworks in order to restore confidence, stability and long-term learning capacity.
The summit concluded with strong commitments from stakeholders to adopt sustainable financing models, strengthen data-driven policies and expand cross-sector partnerships.
The African British Business Forum reaffirmed its commitment to championing innovative, scalable solutions to educational inclusion across the UK, Africa and the wider global community.
