Ghana’s First Lady, Mrs. Lordina Mahama, has called on her fellow African First Ladies to deepen their commitment to social impact by creating more inclusive and healthier communities across the continent.
Speaking at the 2025 edition of the Merck Foundation Africa First Lady Initiative (FLI) Platform in Dubai on Wednesday, Mrs. Mahama spotlighted the role of collaborative leadership in transforming lives—particularly in underserved communities.
“Africa must aspire to greatness not through fragmented efforts, but by forging stronger public-private partnerships and integrating compassion with expertise,” she urged. “Every life matters, no matter how remote or marginalised.”
Her address underscored the growing relevance of First Ladies in shaping social interventions across Africa. As a long-time advocate for health and education through her Lordina Foundation, Mrs. Mahama emphasised the need to intensify grassroots outreach and capacity building. She pointed to the Merck Foundation’s talent development initiative, which has trained 110 young Ghanaians in music, ICT, fashion, and filmmaking, as a shining example.
The two-day summit brought together 17 First Ladies and high-level stakeholders to mark the Merck Foundation’s eighth year of operation in Africa and the 13th year of its overall development work.
Mrs. Mahama used the occasion to reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to strengthening the partnership with Merck Foundation. “Our collaboration through the Lordina Foundation will continue to prioritise health, education, and the fight against stigma,” she said.
She also praised Merck Foundation’s sweeping health interventions, which have addressed human resource gaps in healthcare by awarding over 2,270 scholarships in 52 countries. These scholarships have helped train doctors in fields like oncology, cardiology, fertility, and trauma surgery.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of the Merck Foundation, commended the First Ladies for their support in scaling the foundation’s impact. She highlighted that over 1,000 girls had received scholarships across 17 countries as part of the foundation’s girls’ education initiative.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, cited a 2021 WHO report showing that although Africa bears 24% of the world’s disease burden, it has fewer than 3 healthcare workers per 1,000 people. He credited the Merck Foundation’s interventions with addressing these imbalances.
“Before 2012, many African countries had no oncologists or reproductive health specialists. Today, that reality is changing,” he noted.
The summit also featured alumni testimonies, media engagements, and strategic planning sessions aimed at expanding the reach of Merck’s interventions across the continent. The event concluded with a renewed commitment from all First Ladies present to build resilient systems that uphold dignity, health, and opportunity for all Africans.
