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.
Dr Jide Idris, Director-General of NCDC, 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.
“The projections show this could rise to seven per cent of GDP by 2050 if unchecked.
“We need stronger private sector engagement in key areas such as surveillance, infection prevention, control, awareness and ensuring access to quality antimicrobials,” he added.
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.
“More than 60 per cent of healthcare in Nigeria is delivered by the private sector.
“We must build a multi-sectorial, African-led solution that puts partnerships at the centre,” Ihekweazu said.
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.
“Even third and fourth-generation antibiotics are losing effectiveness. Yet, the private sector, in spite delivering most healthcare services, remains under utilised in stewardship, surveillance and regulation,” he said.
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.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that AMR is ranked among the top 10 global public health threats and poses a significant challenge to development, particularly in low and middle-income countries like Nigeria.
Nigeria continues to grapple with poverty, poor environmental conditions, lack of potable water, sanitation and inadequate infection control, all of which contribute to the burden of AMR.(NAN)
