Nigeria: Drug-Resistant Infections Linked To 64,500 Deaths As Abuja Hosts Global Summit
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
A routine infection that no longer responds to antibiotics can turn deadly.
In Nigeria, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been linked to an estimated 64,500 deaths in 2019, underscoring the urgent need for action against drug-resistant infections.
For this, the Federal Government has announced plans to host the fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance in Abuja from 6 to 8 December 2026, the first time the conference will be held on African soil.
Speaking at a joint ministerial briefing in Abuja on Monday, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, described AMR as a silent pandemic that prolongs illnesses, complicates treatment and claims lives when medicines fail to work.
Pate said Nigeria is adopting a multi-sectoral approach involving the health, agriculture, livestock and environment ministries to tackle the growing threat.
He explained that excessive and inappropriate use of antimicrobials in livestock production, alongside poor infection prevention, indiscriminate drug sales and inadequate diagnostic capacity, could accelerate resistance.
The government, he said, is strengthening antimicrobial stewardship in federal hospitals, improving laboratory services and working with regulatory agencies to ensure the quality of medicines and promote their responsible use.
Pate acknowledged gaps in Nigeria’s AMR surveillance but stressed that the country is committed to confronting the problem through coordinated action involving federal and state governments, the private sector and development partners.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said AMR also threatens food safety, agricultural productivity, livelihoods and international trade.
He called for responsible antimicrobial use, stronger biosecurity, improved food safety systems and better guidance for farmers.
The Minister of Environment, Alhaji Abbas Lawal, said resistance spreads across humans, animals, farms, water, soil and waste systems, making cooperation across sectors essential.
He said the four ministries had committed to a joint One Health coordination mechanism, practical interventions across sectors, public reporting of progress and a tracking system for commitments under the proposed Abuja Compact on Antimicrobial Resistance.
According to the ministers, the December conference will focus on translating global commitments into measurable action under the theme, “One Health: Advancing Global AMR Commitments to Local Action.”
A statement delivered on behalf of the four ministries cited a 2022 Lancet GRAM study estimating that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019.
It warned that more than 39 million deaths could be directly attributable to AMR between 2025 and 2050 without effective action.
The conference is expected to bring governments, scientists, civil society organisations, development partners and private-sector representatives together to accelerate interventions against antimicrobial resistance.
For patients whose infections no longer respond to available medicines, the challenge is immediate hence the need to ensure that treatments work when they are needed most.
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