Published: July 1, 2026
MONROVIA – Liberian First Lady Kartumu Yatta Boakai joined 11 of her counterparts from across Africa and Asia to inaugurate the 13th edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2026, a conference that places Liberia among a select group of nations partnering with the German pharmaceutical giant’s philanthropic arm to expand access to specialized healthcare.
Boakai took part as a guest of honor and keynote speaker at the two-day online conference, held June 18 and 19, alongside the first ladies of Angola, Botswana, Cabo Verde, the Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Kenya, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Sao Tome and Principe. The session was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation.
The first ladies serve as ambassadors of the foundation’s “More Than a Mother” campaign, an initiative that supports infertile and childless women through access to information, health services, education, and what the foundation describes as a change of mindset. The conference coincided with World Infertility Awareness Month, observed annually in June.
For Liberia, the partnership carries direct stakes in a country where specialist care remains scarce and where many patients travel abroad for treatment that is unavailable at home. Kelej said the foundation has provided more than 2,600 scholarships for healthcare providers from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties, with many alumni becoming the first specialists in their countries.
“Together with our Ambassadors and partners, we are making history and transforming the patient care landscape across Africa, Asia, and beyond,” Kelej said.
She added that more than 800 of those scholarships have gone to providers in fertility, embryology, sexual and reproductive medicine, clinical psychiatry, women’s health, urology, laparoscopic surgical skills, and family medicine, strengthening fertility care and women’s health services across 42 countries.
Stangenberg-Haverkamp thanked the participating first ladies and the ministers, health experts, policymakers, and partners who joined the conference. “At Merck Foundation, we remain committed to improving health and well-being by building healthcare capacity and providing access to quality and equitable healthcare across Africa, Asia, and beyond,” he said.
The conference marked the ninth anniversary of the Merck Foundation and 14 years of its development programs, which began in 2012. Day one drew more than 800 participants, including healthcare providers, policymakers, and media from 57 English, French, and Portuguese-speaking countries, and was streamed to more than 220,000 social media viewers. The second day featured parallel scientific sessions on oncology and fertility.
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA of Germany. The foundation says it maintains a strictly non-political stance and does not engage in or support political activities, elections, or regimes.
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