Mrs.Rebecca Akufo-Addo on 28th October ,2024 attended the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative and Merck Foundation Luminary in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania.
The First Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo in her address at the conference commended the Merck foundation in their efforts to improve health care in Ghana, encourage girls education and reduce gender based violence.
She also called on the Merck foundation to train more Ghanaian health care personnel in internal medicine and critical care medicine.
Mrs.Akufo-Addo thanked them for including interventional cardiology in their healthcare capacity building programs after she had put the request before them at last years conference.
Mrs.Akufo-Addo was grateful to the Merck foundation for training over 186 healthcare professionals in Ghana to acquire various skills and specializations.
She was also happy with the work Merck foundation together with The Rebecca Foundation are doing in promoting girls education by providing scholarships, to adolescent girls in Junoir High School. This scholarship, entails providing school supplies, including uniforms, shoes, socks, bags, exercise and text books as well as a stipend for extra school meals.
Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan ,First Lady of Tanzania , said that she was happy and proud to host the Merck Foundation Conference in Tanzania.
She also commended the Merck Foundation for working with African and Asian First Ladies to improve health care access and capacity in Africa and Asia, improve girls education and reduce infertility stigma.
Also speaking at the conference were Professor Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation who reiterated their commitment social development and to increase capacity of health professional and ensure that under served populations in Africa and Asia have access to top tier health care services.
Fifteen First Ladies from Africa and Asia, were in attendance Burundi, Capo Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Maldives, Mozambique, Soa Tome and Principe, The Gambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
