Merck Foundation CEO and Africa First Ladies Share Their Partnership Journey in Transforming Patient Care Landscape, Supporting Girl Education and Breaking Infertility Stigma in Africa

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India & Banjul, The Gambia – Business Wire India • The 12th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary was officially inaugurated by the Vice President of The Republic of The Gambia, H.E. Mr. MUHAMMAD B. S. JALLOW and Merck Foundation Chairman, Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp. • The conference was co-chaired by The First Lady of the Republic of The Gambia, H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW and Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej and attended by The First Ladies of Burundi, Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé & Príncipe and Senegal, as Guests of Honor. • The conference was attended by close to 1,600 participants including healthcare providers, policymakers and media from 52 English, French, and Portuguese speaking countries, who benefited from three parallel scientific and social sessions to advance healthcare capacity and awareness in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties. Additionally, the conference had 2.25 million viewers online from 53 countries, further amplifying its impact and extending access to knowledge and dialogue across continents. • Merck Foundation celebrated the 13-year journey of their development programs, during 2025 Luminary. • Watch the video of MFFLI Committee Meeting held during the 12 Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025: https://youtu.be/sc2XFyU3s10 Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, conducted the 12th Edition of their annual conference, “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”, in partnership with the Government of The Gambia in Banjul, The Gambia. The conference was inaugurated by H.E. Mr. MUHAMMAD B. S. JALLOW, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia, together with Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and co-chaired by H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of Gambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.), CEO of Merck Foundation and President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative along with The First Ladies of African countries, who joined as the Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers: • H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, First Lady of the Republic of Burundi • H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of the Central African Republic • H.E. Mrs. KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, First Lady of the Republic of Liberia • H.E. Senator OLUREMI TINUBI, CON First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria • H.E. Mrs. MARIA DE FATIMA VILA NOVA, First Lady of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe • H.E. Madam MARIE KHONE FAYE, First Lady of the Republic of Senegal On Day 2 of the Summit, the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Committee (MFFLI) was conducted. Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Co-Chairperson of 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025 emphasized, “It was a privilege to convene the Merck Foundation Africa First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Committee Meeting together with our Chairman and my dear sisters, the First Ladies of Africa, who are also our Ambassadors of the ‘Merck Foundation More Than a Mother’. During the meeting, we evaluated the impact of our ongoing programs and discussed the 2026 strategy to further strengthen healthcare and media capacity and address critical social and health issues including Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Ending Child Marriage and FGM, Stopping GBV, Empowering Women, and raising awareness about health concerns such as Diabetes and Hypertension.” Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/4jBpqYSWHTQ Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, expressed, “It was truly encouraging to hear from the First Ladies of Africa and Asia about the significant progress made in their countries through Merck Foundation’s initiatives and the meaningful impact these programs have had nationally.” Watch the video of Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/GySmgsWzpWY H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of Republic of The Gambia & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother, also the co-chair of the luminary, emphasized, “I am delighted to welcome my dear sisters, the First Ladies of Africa, along with the Merck Foundation CEO and Chairman, to my country. MFFLI is a vital platform that allows us to reflect on our achievements and discuss the way forward. I take pride in my partnership with Merck Foundation, through which we are reshaping our public healthcare system and making history by providing scholarships for our very first specialists in crucial fields such as oncology, fertility, and more. Merck Foundation has provided 94 scholarships for Gambian doctors in many critical specialties. Moreover, we are also providing annual scholarships for 4