Nigeria Warns Of Drug-Resistant Infections Ahead Of Global AMR Summit
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
A routine infection could become life-threatening when medicines fail to work, leaving patients with fewer treatment options and families facing longer, more costly hospital stays.
Nigeria is now calling for urgent global action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warning that the growing threat extends beyond hospitals to farms, food security and the environment.
The Federal Government says the fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR, scheduled for 6-8 December 2026 in Abuja, must move the world from political promises to measurable action.
The conference, the first to be held on African soil, will bring together governments and international partners under the theme, “One Health: Advancing Global AMR Commitments to Local Action.”
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said Nigeria was prioritising stronger surveillance, improved laboratory capacity, responsible antimicrobial use and increased domestic production of essential medicines.
Figures from the 2022 Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance study, published in The Lancet, indicate that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for an estimated 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019, including about 64,500 in Nigeria.
Pate warned that more than 39 million deaths could be directly attributable to AMR globally between 2025 and 2050 without effective intervention.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites develop resistance to medicines used to treat infections, making illnesses harder to manage and increasing the risk of complications and death.
Beyond hospitals
Nigeria is adopting a One Health approach, recognising that drug resistance can spread between humans, animals, food systems and the environment.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said inappropriate antimicrobial use threatens agricultural productivity, food safety, trade and farmers’ livelihoods.
He called for better farmer education, stronger biosecurity and responsible medicine use in animal production.
Environment Minister Balarabe Abbas Lawal also stressed the need for coordinated action, noting that resistant organisms and antimicrobial residues can spread through water, soil and waste systems.
The government says its response includes antimicrobial stewardship in federal hospitals, improved infection prevention and control, and measures to promote appropriate prescribing and medicine use.
From promises to accountability
The Abuja conference is expected to advance the proposed Abuja Compact on Antimicrobial Resistance, an action-oriented framework intended to translate international commitments into practical interventions.
Lawal outlined priorities including sustained inter-ministerial coordination, responsible antimicrobial use across sectors, inclusive stakeholder participation and public reporting on implementation.
The conference will test whether governments can turn commitments into lasting action.
Its success will ultimately depend on stronger health systems, safer farming practices and environmental protection that help preserve the effectiveness of medicines.
For patients, farmers and families, the stakes are clear: medicines that work today must remain effective for future generations.
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