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Merck Foundation holds 13th Africa Asia Luminary with 12 First Ladies to advance healthcare capacity across Africa and Asia
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, held the 13th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2026 on June 18 and 19 through an online videoconference.
The annual conference was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, along with the First Ladies of 12 African and Asian countries, who joined as Guests of Honour and Keynote Speakers.
First Ladies in attendance were Dr. Ana Dias Lourenço of Angola, Kaone Boko of Botswana, Dr. Débora Katisa Carvalho of Cabo Verde, Brigitte Touadera of the Central African Republic, Zita Oligui Nguema of the Gabonese Republic, Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow of the Republic of The Gambia, Rachel Ruto of the Republic of Kenya, Kartumu Yarta Boakai of the Republic of Liberia, Sajidha Mohamed of the Republic of Maldives, Dr. Gueta Selemane Chapo of the Republic of Mozambique, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Maria de Fatima Vila Nova of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, President of “More Than a Mother” and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, said: “It is a great privilege to welcome our distinguished Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers, the First Ladies of Africa and Asia, who are the Ambassadors of our ‘More Than a Mother’ campaign to the 13th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary.
“Together, we exchanged valuable experiences and engaged in meaningful discussions on the impact of our programs, which are aimed at transforming patient care and raising awareness of a wide range of critical social and health issues,” Dr. Kelej said.
Dr. Rasha Kelej noted that “I am proud to share that Merck Foundation has provided more than 2,600 scholarships for healthcare providers from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties.”
“Many of our Merck Foundation alumni have become the first specialists in their countries. Together with our Ambassadors and partners, we are making history and transforming the patient care landscape across Africa, Asia, and beyond, ” Dr.Kelej noted
According to her, “During our Conference, we also marked World Infertility Awareness Month, observed annually in June, through our historic ‘Merck Foundation More Than a Mother’ campaign, dedicated to empowering infertile and childless women by providing access to information, health, education, and change of mindset.”
Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, added, “I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the First Ladies of Africa and Asia who joined us as Guests of Honor, as well as to the Ministers, healthcare experts, policymakers, government officials, academia, media representatives, and all our partners for their unwavering support and collaboration.”
“At Merck Foundation, we remain committed to improving health and well-being by building healthcare capacity and providing access to quality and equitable healthcare across Africa, Asia, and beyond. Together, we will continue advancing our vision of a world where everyone can lead a healthy and happy life,” he said.
He further highlighted that “I am pleased to share that, of the over 2,600 scholarships provided by Merck Foundation, more than 800 scholarships have been for healthcare providers in the fields of Fertility, Embryology, Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Psychiatry, Women’s Health, Urology, Laparoscopic Surgical Skills, and Family Medicine.”
“These scholarships are helping strengthen fertility care services and improving access to women’s health across 42 countries,” he revealed
During the 13th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, two important occasions were marked;the 9th Anniversary of Merck Foundation and 14 years of Merck Foundation’s development programmes that were started in 2012.
On the first day, the Inaugural Session of the 13th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary took place, featuring a high-level panel of the participating First Ladies of Africa and Asia.
Day one was attended by over 800 participants including healthcare providers, policymakers, and media from 57 English, French, and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Additionally, the conference was live streamed on social media, with over 220,000 social media viewers, further amplifying the impact and extending access to knowledge and dialogue across continents.
Day two of the conference had two parallel scientific sessions covering Oncology and Fertility Topics.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Medical Doctor and dietician, Dr Bernice Korkor Asare, has urged women to take greater responsibility for their lifestyle choices, particularly their eating habits and levels of physical activity, to help reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
According to her, although, some breast cancer risk factors, such as family history and certain reproductive factors, may not be within an individual’s control, lifestyle choices offer an opportunity for people to take preventive action.
She made this known during a talk on the topic: “Role of diet in breast cancer prevention” organised by Times Ladies Association of the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, in Accra on Thursday.
The event themed “Breast Cancer Awareness- Promoting Early Detection, Healthy Eating and Prevention.” 
She noted that having a risk factor did not automatically mean a person would develop breast cancer, but could increase the likelihood of developing the disease compared with someone without that particular risk factor.
“Having close relatives who have had breast cancer, particularly a mother, sister or daughter, may increase the risk, although not everyone with a family history will develop the disease,” Dr Asare opined. Read More.
By Adizatu K. Munkaila
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A group of compassionate friends from Innovation Gospel Impact last Friday visited the management, teachers and learners of the Street Academy in Accra.
The visit was to interact to get a deeper insight into the operations of the Academy that houses hundreds of street and underprivileged children and find ways to support them.
The team was led by Rev. Dr Isaac Apenteng Yeboah, a former Director for West African Mailbox Club and Director for Prisons Support Foundation, and Rev. Dale Sutherland from Washington DC.
The call, according to the visitors was occasioned by reports about the struggles of the Academy despite the occasional support it enjoys from individuals and some corporate entities.
Briefing them, the Founder and Executive Director of the Academy, Dr Ataa Lartey, thanked them for the concern showed, indicating that “this is a major boost for both teachers and learners; knowing that their plight is known by people outside their premises.”
According Dr Lartey, the Academy had planned to undertake a number of project to enhance teaching and learning and also procure facilities for the children with keen interest in sports but had to shelve those plans for lack of finance.
He told the team that their biggest concerns were the monthly utility bills that takes a toll on their finances.
“We have a piece of land we planned to turn into an astro turf pitch to train the younger ones whose interests lies in making a career out of football, however, we have been unable to commence because there is no money now,” he said.
Dr Lartey expressed gratitude to the teachers who have dedicated their lives to training these children, rather than going for well-paying jobs and hoped that with time, their conditions of engagement would improve.
Moved by the plight of the Academy, the group donated a cash amount of Gh₵3,000 to settle its water bills.
They described as unfortunate the conditions of learners and teachers of the Academy and pledged to continuously support their operations to realize the dream to build a better future for the unfortunate children.
The group offered to support the school with its monthly utility bills, feeding and staff allowance and urged the Academy staff to remain in constant touch with them.
The Street Academy is located at the Accra Art Center and offers brilliant but needy the chance to pursue their educational dreams by enrolling them in public schools with others offered training in sports and cultural activities.
By Spectator Reporter
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