Merck Foundation, the philanthropic branch of Merck KGaA Germany, has appointed Nigeria’s First Lady, H.E. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, as their “More Than a Mother” Ambassador. The announcement came during a high-level meeting in Abuja, where the foundation reaffirmed its commitment to improving healthcare, supporting girls’ education, and tackling infertility stigma in Nigeria.
The talks were led by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation’s Board of Trustees, alongside Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer.
Senator Dr. Kelej described the meeting as a significant milestone. She said, “It was a privilege to meet my dear sister H.E. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and officially appoint her to be the Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”. During our meeting, we discussed the beginning of our long-term partnership and underscored our commitment towards building healthcare capacity and transforming patient care landscape by providing scholarships for local Nigerian doctors in 42 critical and underserved specialties. We also discussed about addressing critical social and health issues in the country including breaking the infertility stigma and supporting girl education.”
“It gives me great pleasure to share that till today, 63 scholarships have been provided for doctors in Nigeria and affirm our commitment towards enhancing healthcare delivery by providing scholarships for local doctors in Nigeria.” Dr Rasha Kelej added.
H.E. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” expressed, “It is a pleasure to welcome and meet the Chairman and CEO of Merck Foundation in our country. I am truly pleased to learn about their impactful and highly beneficial programs, particularly Educating Linda program to support girl education and scholarship program for advancing healthcare capacity. It is encouraging to know that Merck Foundation has provided 63 scholarships to our local doctors in critical medical specialties. I am fully committed to scaling up all their programs to benefit our people.”
Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation BOT shared, “It was a great pleasure to meet H.E. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and to reinforce our shared commitment to advancing healthcare capacity in Nigeria and across Africa.
The foundation confirmed that 63 Nigerian doctors have already received training scholarships. Of these, eight have specialised in areas such as Fertility, Embryology, Sexual & Reproductive Medicine, Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, and Women’s Health.
Another 38 scholarships have been directed towards Diabetes, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Cardiology, Endocrinology, and Obesity & Weight Management. Upon completing their courses, these doctors will be positioned to establish diabetes and hypertension clinics within their local health centres and hospitals, helping communities to manage and prevent these chronic diseases.
A further 17 scholarships have been awarded in fields including Oncology Research, Clinical Psychiatry, Dermatology in Clinical Practice, Pain Management, Respiratory Medicine, Care of the Older Person, Critical Care, and Rheumatology. These areas are often underserved within Nigeria’s health system, and the foundation hopes the investment will improve access to specialist care.
Alongside the medical training programmes, Merck Foundation has sponsored the education of 20 high-achieving but disadvantaged Nigerian schoolgirls under its “Educating Linda” initiative.
The foundation has also placed strong emphasis on working with the media. Three online health media training sessions have been organised for Nigerian journalists, aimed at strengthening reporting on sensitive social and health topics. These sessions addressed issues such as infertility stigma, girl education, women’s empowerment, child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and gender-based violence (GBV).
By equipping journalists with accurate knowledge and awareness, the foundation hopes to encourage a wider cultural shift. The training also included public health themes such as early detection and prevention of diabetes and hypertension.
As part of its collaboration with Nigeria’s First Lady, Merck Foundation has introduced eight awards designed for creative sectors. These include prizes for media professionals, musicians and singers, fashion designers, filmmakers, students, and emerging talent. The awards are intended to encourage young Nigerians to use their platforms to raise awareness about social and health issues.
“I invite the young Nigerian talents to share their creative and inspiring work with us. We have celebrated many winners from Nigeria in the previous years and look forward to celebrating winners this year too,” concluded Senator Dr. Kelej.
