The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has unveiled the findings of a 10-year review of the country’s antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance system, alongside a new roadmap aimed at strengthening surveillance, improving diagnostic stewardship and expanding the national response to drug-resistant infections.
The review was the focus of a two-day stakeholder dialogue held in Abuja on July 9 and 10. Organised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) through its Antimicrobial Resistance Division and the NiCaDe Project, in collaboration with the Robert Koch Institute, the meeting brought together key stakeholders to assess the country’s surveillance efforts and discuss strategies for strengthening the national response.
Findings presented during the dialogue showed that Nigeria has expanded its AMR surveillance network over the past 10 years and improved the quality of data generated from participating laboratories. However, participants noted that antimicrobial resistance continues to pose a significant public health threat, while surveillance coverage remains uneven across the country.
Stakeholders also reviewed Nigeria’s Hub-and-Spoke model, an approach designed to connect tertiary hospitals with other health facilities to improve laboratory capacity, diagnostic stewardship and the appropriate use of antimicrobials.
During the meeting, experts from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex shared experiences from implementing the model, highlighting how mentorship and multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship teams have helped strengthen surveillance beyond referral hospitals.
The dialogue concluded with stakeholders agreeing on priority actions to guide the next phase of Nigeria’s AMR response, including expanding surveillance coverage, improving diagnostic capacity and enhancing collaboration among healthcare institutions.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when disease-causing microorganisms become resistant to medicines that were once effective against them, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of severe illness and death. Public health experts have repeatedly warned that stronger surveillance systems are essential for detecting resistance patterns early and informing treatment guidelines.
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