Merck Foundation and First Ladies Launch 7th MFFLI Summit to Advance Healthcare and Social Change
The Merck Foundation has inaugurated the 7th Edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit, bringing together the Foundation’s leadership and First Ladies from 14 African and Asian countries to strengthen healthcare capacity and address critical social and health challenges.
The summit, held on 19 and 20 June 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was officially opened by Professor Dr Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator Dr Rasha Kelej, Chief Executive Officer of Merck Foundation and President of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative. The event was attended by First Ladies serving as Guests of Honour and Keynote Speakers, all of whom are Ambassadors of the Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” campaign.
Speaking at the opening, Senator Dr Rasha Kelej said the summit provided an important platform for First Ladies and partners to share experiences and assess the impact of Merck Foundation programmes aimed at transforming patient care and raising awareness on a wide range of social and health issues.
Professor Dr Stangenberg-Haverkamp reaffirmed the Foundation’s mission to improve health and wellbeing by building healthcare capacity and expanding access to quality and equitable healthcare solutions across Africa, Asia and beyond. He thanked the First Ladies and partners for their continued support, noting that collaboration remains central to achieving the Foundation’s vision.
The participating First Ladies included representatives from Angola, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal and Zimbabwe.
Senator Dr Kelej highlighted that Merck Foundation has so far provided more than 2,500 scholarships to young doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties. Many of the beneficiaries, she noted, have become the first specialists in their respective countries, significantly improving access to specialised healthcare services.
She further explained that more than 700 of these scholarships have been dedicated to fertility, embryology, sexual and reproductive medicine, women’s health and related fields, as part of the “More Than a Mother” campaign. The summit also coincided with World Infertility Awareness Month and marked the 8th anniversary of Merck Foundation, alongside 13 years of its development programmes launched in 2012.
The first day of the summit featured a high-level plenary session with panel discussions involving First Ladies, African ministers and international healthcare experts. The second day included parallel medical and scientific sessions on oncology and fertility, as well as a health media training session focusing on the role of the media in addressing issues such as infertility stigma, girls’ education, gender-based violence, child marriage, diabetes and hypertension.
The summit was held in a hybrid format, enabling more than 6,000 participants from over 70 countries to engage in discussions and share strategies to address health and social challenges.
Merck Foundation continues to expand its impact through scholarships, media training, awards, awareness campaigns, educational materials and support for underprivileged schoolgirls, working with partners across Africa, Asia and beyond to strengthen healthcare systems and promote social transformation.
