Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – The First Lady of The Gambia, Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, has underscored the transformative impact of her country’s partnership with the Merck Foundation during the latest edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit 2025, held recently in Mumbai, India.
The summit, inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of the Foundation, brought together First Ladies from across Africa and Asia.
The gathering serves as a platform for collaborative strategies to strengthen healthcare systems and promote social development.
Representing The Gambia, Mrs. Bah-Barrow, who also serves as ambassador of the foundation’s “More Than a Mother” campaign, hailed the partnership that began in 2017 and has since delivered groundbreaking achievements for the country.
“In The Gambia, we have provided 87 scholarships for our young doctors in critical and underserved specialties such as oncology, fertility, endocrinology, diabetes, respiratory medicine, and more,” she said. “This is a very high number for our country and will contribute significantly to The Gambia’s health security and its economic and social development.”
According to the Merck Foundation, these scholarships are training the country’s first specialists in several key medical fields, marking a historic milestone in strengthening The Gambia’s healthcare system.
Beyond health, Mrs. Bah-Barrow also highlighted gains in education, particularly through the “Educating Linda” initiative, which supports 40 high-performing but underprivileged Gambian girls annually.
“This meaningful support is not only empowering these young girls with knowledge but also giving them the opportunity to shape a brighter and more secure future for themselves, their families, and their communities,” she noted.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej praised The Gambia’s achievements under the partnership, describing them as historic. “Together, we are making history in The Gambia by providing training to the first specialists in many fields… and we will continue to transform patient care by achieving many more milestones,” she said.
The summit was attended by First Ladies from Angola, Cabo Verde, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, the Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, and Zimbabwe, reaffirming the role of regional collaboration in tackling shared health and development challenges.
