Nigeria Strengthens Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
Global health threats like pandemics grab the headlines whereas antimicrobial resistance (AMR) quietly poses a more insidious danger.
The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human health, agriculture, and animal care are rendering essential medicines ineffective, leading to harder-to-treat infections and increasing the burden on healthcare systems.
Nigeria is currently taking proactive steps to address this crisis, as key stakeholders from the health, agriculture, and environmental sectors converged on Abuja for the first-quarter AMR Technical Working Group (TWG) and AMR Coordinating Committee meeting to brainstorm on the best approach to tackle the menace.
At the gathering, stakeholders reviewed progress on AMR surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, and infection prevention, while discussing challenges and strategies for implementing the National Action Plan (NAP) 2.0.
This five-year plan (2024–2028) builds on the successes of its predecessor (NAP 1.0) to curb the growing resistance crisis.
The NCDC Director-General Dr. Jide Idris, represented by Dr. Tochi Okwor, applauded the TWG’s dedication and highlighted the importance of sustained collaboration in tackling AMR.
Similarly, TWG Co-Chair Professor Kabir Junaid emphasised the need for synergy across sectors under the One Health approach to ensure effective response strategies.
With AMR threatening the efficacy of life-saving treatments, the meeting underscored the urgency of strengthening coordination, increasing funding, and driving awareness campaigns to mitigate its impact.
As Nigeria advances its AMR action plan, experts stress the need for responsible antibiotic use across all sectors to safeguard public health.
