On June 20, 2026, the Adekunle Gold Foundation held its quarterly sickle cell medical outreach at the Akerele Medical Centre in Surelere, Lagos State, where over 500 individuals living with sickle cell disease gained access to medical support. The outreach, which is in partnership with the SAMI (Sickle Cell Advocacy & Management Initiative), marks the annual International Sickle Cell Day celebrations with hundreds receiving a range of medical interventions, including specialist consultation, diagnostic laboratory testing, pain and crisis management, as well as distribution of medications to support their care for up to three months.
Award-winning global superstar Adekunle Gold was present at the outreach, where he interacted with the beneficiaries and shared a goodwill message to celebrate International Sickle Cell Day.
“As a warrior, I was constantly told I couldn’t do several things because of my condition, but I never listened to them. Today, I want to encourage and remind you that you can be anything you want to be and your dreams are valid,” he said to the children and their parents. At Adekunle Gold Foundation, our goal is to destigmatise the sickle cell disease, bring attention to it, and provide key support to help every warrior live a fulfilling life,” he added.
Also present at the outreach was Foluso Phillips, the Chairman of the SAMI (Sickle Cell Advocacy & Management Initiative) board.
“The essence of SAMI is to try and educate people about not creating a situation whereby people with sickle cell will be born. That’s why blood screening is so important before people get engaged in any form of child rearing. And if such a situation arises, then the whole management of the process is what the SAMI organization tries to support. We are truly grateful to Adekunle Gold for his support in ensuring that this
initiative continues to be a success.”
SAMI founder Mrs Oluwatoyin Adesola recently passed away, and the Adekunle Gold June medical outreach is the first since her passing. Chairman of the SAMI board added that the success of the outreach honours Mrs Adesola’s memory and also restates faith that the outreach will carry on.
Sickle cell disease remains one of the most common genetic diseases globally. In Nigeria, over 150,000 children are born with the disease annually, placing the country as the largest carrier in the world with millions living with the condition.
Beyond its medical outreach program, the foundation is also working to address long-term healthcare access for patients. In 2025, the foundation launched the 5 Star Care initiative, which provided 1,000 individuals living with sickle cell disease with free health insurance coverage. The program was implemented in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Health Management Agency, helping patients gain sustained access to care within the state’s healthcare system.
Through medical outreach programs, healthcare access initiatives, and global research collaboration, the Adekunle Gold Foundation continues to bring attention to a disease that affects millions while providing direct support to those living with the condition.
