Merck Foundation awards 91 medical scholarships to Nigerians, supports 71 schoolgirls

By Chioma Obinna

Nigeria has received 91 medical scholarships for healthcare workers in critical specialties and educational support for 71 underprivileged schoolgirls under programmes implemented by the Merck Foundation, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has disclosed.

Tinubu made the disclosure during the inauguration of the 13th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2026, a virtual gathering of First Ladies, healthcare experts, policymakers and development partners from Africa and Asia.

The First Lady said the scholarships have strengthened Nigeria’s healthcare workforce by supporting doctors and other health professionals in underserved fields such as diabetes management, cardiology, fertility care, oncology, neurology, infectious diseases and geriatrics.

“I am delighted to join you for the 13th edition of the Merck Foundation Africa-Asia Luminary. The Foundation has provided 91 scholarships for our Nigerian healthcare providers in 44 critical and underserved specialities.”

She said 42 beneficiaries received training in diabetes, endocrinology, cardiology, preventive cardiovascular medicine, and obesity management, while 20 others benefited from programmes in fertility, embryology, and sexual and reproductive health.

According to her, another 16 healthcare professionals were trained in geriatric care, critical care, dermatology, respiratory medicine and rheumatology, while 11 received scholarships in acute medicine, family medicine, infectious diseases, medical oncology, neurology and pain management.

Beyond healthcare, Tinubu said Merck Foundation’s Educating Linda Programme had provided scholarships to 71 underprivileged but academically promising Nigerian girls, covering their school fees and essential educational needs until completion of secondary education.

“The objective of this programme is to enable them to create pathways to pursue their dreams and future careers,” she said.

The First Lady also disclosed that Nigeria received 2,800 sets of educational materials, including pencils, rulers, pens, sharpeners, coloured pencils and school bags, which were distributed nationwide through the offices of state First Ladies.

She said the Foundation further supplied 4,000 copies of seven children’s storybooks promoting girls’ education, ending child marriage, breaking infertility stigma and raising awareness about diabetes and hypertension.

Recognising the value of the books, Tinubu said Nigeria had reproduced 140,000 copies for distribution through public school libraries across the country.

“The books will be donated to the Federal Ministry of Education for distribution to public school libraries nationwide. I strongly believe that these books will positively impact both boys and girls by promoting important values, health behaviours and social awareness from an early age.”

She also revealed that 18 Nigerian journalists participated in Merck Foundation’s online health media training programme on May 7, 2026, while several Nigerian media organisations emerged winners in the Foundation’s 2025 media recognition awards.

“As Merck Foundation celebrates nine years of service and 14 years of development programmes, I appreciate its commitment to improving lives, empowering women and girls, strengthening healthcare systems and advancing social change across Africa and Asia,” Tinubu said.

Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej, said the organisation had so far awarded more than 2,600 scholarships to healthcare providers from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialities.

“Today we achieved a lot together,” Kelej said. “Until today, we have provided more than 2,680 scholarships to healthcare providers from 52 countries in 42 critical and underserved specialities.”

She noted that many beneficiaries had become the first specialists in their countries in fields such as oncology, fertility care, diabetes management and reproductive health.

According to her, over 800 scholarships have been dedicated to fertility, embryology, sexual and reproductive medicine, clinical psychiatry, women’s health, urology and family medicine.

Kelej said the Foundation would continue expanding healthcare capacity-building programmes across Africa and Asia, particularly in cancer care, diabetes management, infectious diseases and mental health.
“We are making history and transforming the patient care landscape across Africa, Asia and beyond,” she said.

Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, said inadequate numbers of trained healthcare professionals remained one of the biggest barriers to quality healthcare across many developing countries.

“Before the start of the Merck Foundation programmes in 2012, there was not a single oncologist, fertility or reproductive care specialist, diabetologist, respiratory or ICU specialist in many countries.”

“Many of our Foundation alumni have become the first specialists in their home countries.”

He said the Foundation’s scholarship programmes were helping to bridge critical healthcare gaps while strengthening patient care systems across Africa and Asia.

Stangenberg-Haverkamp also highlighted the Foundation’s “More Than a Mother” campaign, which focuses on breaking infertility stigma, supporting girls’ education, ending child marriage and combating gender-based violence.

Through the campaign, he said, thousands of women and girls have been empowered through education, awareness and access to healthcare.

Also speaking, Director of the Tata Memorial Centre in India, Prof. Dr. Sudip Gupta, described the partnership between his institution and Merck Foundation as a model for international cooperation in cancer care.

Gupta said the programme, launched in 2016, had supported hundreds of oncology scholarships across 27 African countries.

“The vision of our programme is to improve access to quality and equitable cancer care, especially in underserved communities. What makes this initiative unique is that the impact extends far beyond the duration of training.”

He added that the programme was helping to build multidisciplinary cancer care teams and improve access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment across participating countries.

The two-day conference brought together First Ladies from 12 African and Asian countries, including Angola, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Merck Foundation said the event also marked its ninth anniversary and 14 years of development programmes aimed at strengthening healthcare systems, supporting girls’ education and addressing critical social and health challenges across Africa, Asia and underserved communities worldwide.