I am proud to share that werecently conducted the 12th Edition of our annual conference, “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”, in partnership with the Government of The Gambia. The conference was co-chaired by H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of Gambia & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother and Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation & President of More Than a Mother. The First Lady of Central Africa, H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, along with The First Ladies of Burundi, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe and Senegal joinedasthe Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers.
I am very happy to meet my dear sister, H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of Central Africa and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” to the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025. Our long-term partnership began in 2015, and since then, we have achieved great milestones together. We have provided scholarships for young doctors from CAR in Oncology and Diabetes.
As a part of our Merck Foundation’s Education Linda program, we are providing annual scholarships to 40 bright yet under-privileged schoolgirls, to enable them to complete their education, and reach their full potential.”
Watch the Speech of The First Lady of Central Africa & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025 here:
Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej receiving H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of Central Africa & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother”:
On Day 1 of the conference, the Plenary Session of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025 took place, featuring keynote speeches of First Ladies of Africa. Moreover, a high-level ministerial panel discussion was also held with African Ministers to discuss the Merck Foundation African Research Summit MARS strategy to build scientific research capacity and empower women in STEM with special focus on scientific research.
On Day 2 of the conference, Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative- MFFLI committee meeting was conducted between The First Ladies of Africa and Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO, where the African First Ladies shared the impact report of Merck Foundation programs in their respective countries, and future strategy was discussed.
In partnership with The First Lady of Central Africa we havealso announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards for Media Representatives, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields. The aim of awards is to encourage young talents and youth in Central Africa to create and convey messages in their art and daily work to create awareness about sensitive issues like Break Infertility Stigma, Support Girl Education, Stop Gender Based Violence, End Child Marriage, End FGM, and Women Empowerment at all levels and raise awareness about early detection & prevention of Diabetes & Hypertension.
Moreover, Merck Foundation together with the office of The First Lady of Central Africa, has also conducted 4 editions of their Online Health Media Training to encourage media to be the voice of the voiceless and raise awareness. We have also released seven storybooks to address the social and health issues among children from a young age, nurturing a culture of awareness and empathy. Moreover, these storybooks have been adapted into very interesting animation films, to raise awareness among both the youth and adults.
The 12th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025 was streamed live across all our social media platforms, enabling thousands of participants from over 70 countries to join our discussions, amplify our impact, and celebrate the spirit of partnership and progress.
Kind Regards,
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.)
CEO of Merck Foundation
