THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has launched the country’s National Action Plan (NAP 2.0) on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), covering 2024 to 2028.
The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris said at the World Health Expo in Lagos that greater private sector involvement was imperative to address this growing public health threat.
The expo brought together health leaders, policymakers, innovators and private sector stakeholders from across West Africa and beyond to reimagine health systems and accelerate health innovation.
Idris said that AMR is a growing threat in the country and globally and has been described as a silent pandemic.
He said that without urgent action, it could reverse decades of progress in healthcare, food security and economic development.
“Antimicrobial resistance threatens our ability to treat infectious diseases and undermines health systems and development.
“NAP 2.0 is a coordinated national strategy with clearly defined objectives, interventions and measurable targets,” he said.
He said that the plan builds on the 2017 to 2022 framework and aligns with the one health approach, which acknowledges the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.
He said it comprises six strategic objectives, 40 interventions, 143 activities and over 450 sub-activities, all designed to strengthen Nigeria’s AMR response.
According to him, in 2019 alone, AMR was responsible for more than 263,000 deaths in Nigeria and more than the deaths attributed to malaria or tuberculosis.
Idris noted that Nigeria was currently responding to eight disease outbreaks using the one health approach, anchored on multi-sectorial collaboration, root-cause prevention and sustainability.
He disclosed that in 2022, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) linked to AMR cost Nigeria 4.5 billion dollars, nearly one per cent of the national GDP.
Idris described the unveiling of NAP 2.0 signals as a new era in Nigeria’s AMR response, anchored in partnership, policy coherence and a collective vision to protect the efficacy of life-saving medicines for future generations.
During the high-level session on AMR, Mrs Vivian Ihekweazu, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, highlighted the critical role of the private sector in curbing AMR.
In his technical presentation, Dr Chavan Laxmikant, AMR and One Health Coordinator at WHO Nigeria, highlighted that AMR now kills more people globally than HIV, malaria or tuberculosis.
Laxmikant outlined several key priorities from Nigeria’s National Action Plan on AMR (NAP 2.0).
He said that these include the integration of private laboratories into antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems, the launch of antimicrobial stewardship programmes in hospitals and the regulation of antibiotic use in agriculture.
He also stated the importance of offering incentives to support compliance with AMR control measures.
