{"id":8373,"date":"2026-04-05T17:10:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T13:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8373"},"modified":"2026-04-05T17:13:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T13:13:03","slug":"message-from-ceo-of-merck-foundation-dr-rasha-kelej-about-the-12th-edition-of-merck-foundation-africa-asia-luminary-co-chaired-by-the-gambia-first-lady-and-inaugurated-by-the-gambia-vice-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8373","title":{"rendered":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej about the 12th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, Co-Chaired by The Gambia First Lady and Inaugurated by the Gambia Vice President and Merck Foundation Chairman"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO with The Gambia Vice President and First Lady, and First Ladies of Burundi, CAR, Liberia, Sao Tome, Senegal at Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/p>

I am happy to share that the\u00a012th<\/sup>\u00a0Edition<\/strong>\u00a0of our annual conference,\u00a0\u201cMerck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary\u201d<\/strong>, was conducted recently, in partnership with the\u00a0Government of The Gambia.\u00a0<\/strong>The conference was inaugurated by\u00a0Mr. MUHAMMAD B. S. JALLOW, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia<\/strong>, together with\u00a0Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees<\/strong>, and\u00a0co-chaired by Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of Gambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0me.<\/strong>\u00a0The First Ladies of Africa<\/strong>, who are also the\u00a0Ambassadors of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother<\/strong>\u00a0joined as the\u00a0Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers.<\/strong><\/p>

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I was delighted\u00a0to host our prestigious annual conference in The Gambia,\u00a0<\/strong>together with my dear sister and our long-term partner,\u00a0Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, First Lady of The Gambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.<\/strong><\/p>

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I am very happy that our conference was officially inaugurated by\u00a0Mr. MUHAMMAD B. S. JALLOW, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia<\/strong>, together with\u00a0Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees.<\/strong><\/p>

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Moreover, I was great welcoming our esteemed\u00a0Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers, the First Ladies of African Countries<\/strong>, also the\u00a0Ambassadors of the \u201cMerck Foundation More Than a Mother\u201d.<\/strong>\u00a0Together, we shared experiences and engaged in meaningful discussions on the impact of our programs, aimed at transforming patient care and raising awareness on a wide range of critical social and health issues.<\/p>

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On the first day of the conference, the Plenary Session of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025 took place, featuring keynote speeches of following First Ladies of Africa:<\/strong><\/p>

H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, First Lady of the Republic of Burundi<\/strong><\/p>

H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of Central African Republic<\/strong><\/p>

H.E. Mrs. KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, First Lady of the Republic of Liberia<\/strong><\/p>

H.E. Mrs. MARIA DE FATIMA VILA NOVA, First Lady of the Democratic Republic of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe<\/strong><\/p>

H.E. Madam MARIE KHONE FAYE, First Lady of the Republic of Senegal<\/strong><\/p>

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I am proud to share that Merck Foundation has provided more than\u00a02400 scholarships for healthcare providers from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties<\/strong>.\u00a0Many of our Merck Foundation Alumni are becoming the first specialists in their countries.\u00a0Together with our Ambassadors and Partners, we are making history and transforming the patient care landscape across Africa and beyond.\u00a0Many of them are becoming the first specialists in their countries.<\/p>

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We conducted the conference was held in a hybrid format, featuring both physical and online participation of close to\u00a01600 healthcare providers, policymakers, academia, researchers, and media representatives<\/strong>\u00a0from 52 countries across Africa, Asia, and beyond. Also, the conference was live streamed on our social media, which has more than\u00a02.25 Million viewers<\/strong>\u00a0from across 53 countries.<\/p>

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During the 12th<\/sup> Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary<\/strong>, we marked an important occasion, 13 years of Merck Foundation\u2019s <\/strong>development programs that started in 2012.<\/p>

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. <\/p>

Link to the YouTube live stream of Inaugural Session of<\/strong> Merck Foundation First Ladies High Level Panel:<\/strong><\/p>

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