The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has unveiled the country’s National Action Plan (NAP 2.0) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) 2024–2028, calling for stronger private sector engagement in tackling one of the most urgent public health threats of the century.
Director-general of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris made the announcement during the World Health Expo in Lagos, an event that convened health leaders, policymakers, innovators, and private sector stakeholders from across West Africa and beyond to reshape healthcare delivery and drive innovation.
Describing AMR as a “silent pandemic,” Idris warned that, without swift and coordinated action, antimicrobial resistance could erase decades of progress in healthcare, economic growth and food security. “Antimicrobial resistance threatens our ability to treat infectious diseases and undermines health systems and development,” he said.
NAP 2.0 builds upon the initial 2017–2022 framework and is aligned with the One Health approach, which recognises the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health. The new strategy consists of six strategic objectives, 40 core interventions, 143 specific activities and more than 450 sub-activities aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s national response to AMR.
Idris highlighted alarming figures, noting that in 2019 alone, AMR was responsible for over 263,000 deaths in Nigeria – more than deaths from malaria or tuberculosis. He also revealed that healthcare-associated infections linked to AMR cost the country \$4.5 billion in 2022, almost one percent of its GDP. If left unaddressed, this figure could soar to seven percent by 2050.
He called for private sector support in key areas such as surveillance, infection prevention and control, public awareness and the promotion of responsible antimicrobial use. “We need stronger private sector engagement to preserve the efficacy of life-saving medicines,” he said.
The launch of NAP 2.0 marks a shift towards more inclusive, multisectoral collaboration built on policy coherence, local ownership and a collective vision to prevent a future where simple infections become untreatable.
During a high-level AMR session at the expo, managing director of Nigeria Health Watch, Vivian Ihekweazu emphasised the central role of the private sector in Nigeria’s AMR fight. “Over 60 per cent of healthcare in Nigeria is provided by the private sector. We must build a multisectoral, African-led solution that prioritises partnerships,” she said.
AMR and one health coordinator at WHO Nigeria, Dr. Chavan Laxmikant gave a technical presentation in which he noted 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, which delivers most healthcare, remains underused in stewardship, surveillance and regulation,” he explained.
Laxmikant highlighted several key priorities from NAP 2.0, including integrating private laboratories into national surveillance systems, launching stewardship programmes in hospitals, and regulating antibiotic use in agriculture. He also stressed the need for incentives to boost compliance with AMR control measures.
According to Science Nigeria, AMR ranks among the top 10 global public health threats and poses a particularly severe challenge to low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria. Widespread poverty, poor sanitation, limited access to clean water and inadequate infection prevention continue to fuel the country’s AMR burden.
