The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, alongside the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has launched the National Action Plan 2.0 for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and the National Genomics Surveillance Strategy in Abuja. The initiative aims to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to respond to epidemic-prone diseases and public health challenges.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, highlighted Nigeria’s establishment of a robust multi-sectoral governance framework that embodies a One Health approach to tackling AMR. He emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring effective communication, collaboration, and coordination across sectors to prevent and reduce AMR in Nigeria and beyond.
Prof. Pate explained that the goal of launching National Action Plan 2.0 is to curb the evolution of resistant organisms and mitigate their impact on humans, animals, and the environment. The plan also aims to optimise the use of antimicrobials and improve access to effective, safe, and quality-assured diagnostics for successful infection management across the country.
Dr. Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC, described AMR as an established global crisis, necessitating urgent and innovative approaches to promote the responsible use of antimicrobials, strengthen infection control measures, and improve access to diagnostics and treatments.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi, warned that AMR could become the next global pandemic, stressing the importance of collaborative efforts to prevent its harmful effects on humans, animals, and agriculture. He reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting Nigeria with the necessary resources to tackle AMR.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when germs—such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi—become resistant to the medicines used to treat them. These resistant bacteria can spread and infect people or animals, making infections harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria.
The National Action Plan (NAP) 2.0 outlines Nigeria’s strategy to combat AMR from 2024 to 2028, building upon the achievements of the previous AMR 1.0 plan, which ran from 2017 to 2023. The updated plan addresses gaps and challenges identified in the last five years.
Professor Kabir Junaid, Co-chairman of the Antimicrobial Resistance Technical Working Group, noted in his presentation that AMR has already caused over a hundred deaths in Nigeria. He stressed the need for urgent action to prevent this number from rising.