From Talk to Action: Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance in Africa

Amref Health Africa hosted a high-level roundtable at the United Nations General Assembly in New York bringing global health leaders together to address the urgent issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Titled "From Talk to Action: Harnessing Multisectoral Synergies for Collective Impact," the event underscored the critical need for joint efforts to combat the rise of AMR, particularly in Africa, which is projected to bear 40% of global AMR-related deaths by 2050.

The AMR Crisis: A Global Health Emergency

AMR, often called the "silent pandemic," threatens to undo decades of progress in medicine. Misuse of antibiotics, lack of clean water, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure are fuelling the rise of drug-resistant infections, with low- and middle-income countries—especially in Africa —facing the brunt of this crisis.

Further, Dr Ali Yahaya of the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that there’s need for continued investment to ensure that the National Action Plans are implemented and awareness creation at the community level. It was noted that the humanitarian settings - due to climate change and other conflict situations – have a direct link with AMR, due to interruption of health services, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and suboptimal Infection Prevention Control (IPC) mechanisms.

Dr. George Kimathi, Director of the Institute for Capacity Development at Amref Health Africa, highlighted the urgent need to engage communities: “AMR starts and ends in the community. We must ensure national plans translate into real action on the ground.”

Solutions through Multisectoral Collaboration

At the heart of the discussion was the need for multisectoral collaboration, with stakeholders from the human, animal, plant, and environmental sectors. Thomas Breuer, Chief Global Health Officer at GSK, emphasized the role of vaccines in preventing infection and reducing the misuse of antibiotics. He went on to highlight GSK’s commitment to tackling AMR, announcing its €4.5 million funding investment in GARDP, to help improve responsible equitable access to medicines for people living in lower income countries. "Preventing infections through vaccines can drastically reduce the misuse of antibiotics," he said, calling for increased industry investment.

Jackline Kiarie from Amref shared findings from their AMR Landscape Analysis, which pointed to gaps in awareness and training. “Over half of healthcare workers in Africa aren’t aware of existing AMR policies,” she noted, calling for better education and the crucial integration of AMR topics into healthcare training programs. We need to ask ourselves: “What can we do now to ensure that five years down the road these findings are different?”

Andreas Berglöf, Policy Advisor Health at WaterAid emphasized the role of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) programs in curbing AMR by improving public health at the grassroots level. This, in turn, reduces the need for antibiotics and the risk of resistance.

Angeli Achrekar from UNAIDS drew comparisons to the HIV/AIDS fight, stressing the importance of clear goals and community engagement. “The HIV response taught us that we need everyone on board—governments, communities, and health systems,” she said, underscoring the value of partnership in combating AMR. The role of Academia in addressing the AMR challenge was also acknowledged noting that evidence generation through research as well as updating curriculums across the One Health sectors were critical success factors in addressing the AMR challenge.

A Global Call to Action: Commitment and Investment Needed

Dr Yewande, AMR and One Health unit Lead at Africa CDC, emphasized the need to go back to the basics, a whole systems approach that prioritises preventive measures such as vaccines, which are cost effective in preventing disease and ultimately overuse and misuse often driven by inequitable access to health services. Further, the need to leverage and build on ongoing efforts such as shared surveillance networks and One Health models that work will be critical in mitigating the cost of inaction.

A recurring message throughout the event was the need for action—backed by investment. Dr. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health Uganda, called for stronger frameworks to bring stakeholders together. She strongly stated "You can’t solve a problem until you know how deep it is" emphasizing the importance of better surveillance and laboratory capacity.

The roundtable concluded with a strong call to action: “No one is safe until everyone is safe.” As AMR knows no borders, a collective and coordinated response is more critical than ever. It’s a global problem that demands local solutions, tailored to the unique challenges facing countries in Africa.

The roundtable demonstrated that the time for action is now. Investments in education, diagnostics, and infrastructure must be paired with stronger partnerships and multisectoral collaboration to effectively combat AMR. As stakeholders from public and private sectors commit to this fight, the path from talk to action has never been clearer.