Nigeria to host first African edition of global AMR conference

Nigeria is set to host the Fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Abuja from December 6 to 8, 2026.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this during the One Health Ministers’ Briefing Meeting on the conference in Abuja.

Speaking on behalf of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and other ministers, Salako said the conference would bring together global leaders and stakeholders to review progress, accelerate interventions and strengthen international cooperation in tackling antimicrobial resistance.

The event will be the first edition of the conference to be held on African soil.

With the theme, “One Health: Advancing Global AMR Commitments through Local Action,” the conference will focus on translating international commitments into practical action across human health, animal health, agriculture and the environment.

Salako noted that antimicrobial resistance remained a major global health threat, citing estimates that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019, including an estimated 64,500 deaths in Nigeria.

“Without urgent action, the global death toll directly attributable to AMR could exceed 39 million between 2025 and 2050”, he warned.

The minister said the conference would also facilitate the adoption of the Abuja Compact on Antimicrobial Resistance, which is currently being developed through consultations with member states and stakeholders.

“The Compact is expected to advance existing global commitments, including the United Nations General Assembly’s political declaration on AMR and other international initiatives, towards measurable action”, he said.

Nigeria said it was committed to hosting a successful conference that would strengthen global collaboration and advance coordinated One Health solutions to antimicrobial resistance.