First Lady Mrs. Lordina Dramani Mahama has been honoured Ambassador by Merck Foundation, the charitable arm of Merck KGaA Germany, in appreciation of the contributions she has made over the last ten years through her Lordina Foundation.
During the Merck Foundation Ghana Alumni Summit 2026, Professor Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Dr. Rasha Kelej, Chief Executive Officer of the Merck Foundation, jointly presented the award.
On Tuesday, May 19, the event took place at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.
Dr. Rasha Kelej said that Mrs. Mahama’s humanitarian efforts had improved thousands of people’s lives nationwide.
These initiatives involve giving vulnerable members of underprivileged communities access to health care and education, as well as empowering women financially.
Mrs. Mahama has assisted in providing medical training scholarships to Ghanaian physicians, enabling them to become specialised healthcare experts, through her charitable organization, the Lordina Foundation, a longstanding partner of the Merck Foundation.
By actively combating child marriage and promoting girls’ education through programs like the “Educating Linda” program and the “More Than a Mother” campaign, Mrs. Mahama has helped pull countless families out of poverty and given children better prospects.
Additionally, the First Lady received praise for her endorsement of the yearly Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards.
These awards are intended to enable journalists in Asia and Africa to change the narrative and increase awareness of important problems including women’s empowerment and the stigma associated with infertility.
In response, Mrs. Mahama stated that the foundation has made an investment in the minds of future leaders by awarding scholarships to forty Ghanaian medical experts who are currently offering patients specialised care.
The foundation has also provided ICT and creative arts training to over 110 individuals.
Mrs. Mahama mentioned the Merck program’s beneficiaries and said she gets a lot of delight from their touching testimonies.
“My heart is truly grateful as I listen to the testimonies of the Merck Foundation Alumni. Their achievements offer hope that, with dedication, no one will be left behind,” the First Lady assured.
“Through health support, facility innovation, and economic empowerment initiatives, we have tried to reach the very heart of our communities. Whether it is a grandmother in a village in need of healthcare, a young girl dreaming of a classroom, or a woman seeking financial independence, our mission is to serve their dream for a better life.”
Mrs. Mahama also promised to work with the Merck Foundation for the rest of her life, acknowledging their cooperative role since the partnership’s inception.
“It’s about a doctor who returned home to save lives. It’s about the journalists who write with an understanding of maternal health. It’s about the scholarship recipient who now sees herself as a future leader. This relates to the vision of our government under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama,” she observed.
Source: newsthemegh.com