Nigeria to Host 5th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance in 2026

Idi Mukhtar Maiha
Honourable Minister of Livestock Development Ministry 

"Livestock farming remains the backbone of rural livelihoods and food security in Nigeria but faces an escalating threat from antimicrobial resistance." Idi Mukhtar Maiha

..... Warns that when antibiotics lose their effectiveness, the consequences for farmers, food safety and public health are severe.

"Nigeria’s hosting of this landmark event will advance an integrated One Health approach to tackling AMR across human, animal and environmental systems." Prof Ali Pate Nigeria's Coordinating Minister of Health.

Nigeria has reaffirmed its leadership in the global fight against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as senior government officials, development partners and technical experts convened on Tuesday 1st July 2025, in Abuja for the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on the Planning of the 5th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR, scheduled for 29th–30th June 2026.

In his opening remarks, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, emphasised that Nigeria’s hosting of this landmark event will advance an integrated One Health approach to tackling AMR across human, animal and environmental systems. 

Professor Pate noted that by working together across sectors and disciplines, Nigeria can mobilise its expertise to protect human health, animal health and the environment, while securing food systems for future generations.

Echoing this commitment, the Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, stressed that livestock farming remains the backbone of rural livelihoods and food security in Nigeria but faces an escalating threat from antimicrobial resistance. 

He warned that when antibiotics lose their effectiveness, the consequences for farmers, food safety and public health are severe. 

“The health of our animals is directly tied to the health of our people. When antibiotics and other antimicrobials lose their effectiveness in treating animal diseases, the consequences are dire - reduced productivity, economic hardship for farmers, and risks to food safety and public health.

“AMR is not a distant threat it is a current and escalating danger that demands our full attention,” Maiha said, adding that no single sector can tackle AMR alone and that the One Health approach must be the foundation of collective action.

Underscoring the urgent need for action, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, presented compelling data that illustrates the burden of AMR globally and nationally. 

He revealed that 1.1 million deaths were directly attributed to AMR worldwide in 2021, with 4.7 million deaths associated overall. In Nigeria alone, an estimated 263,400 deaths were linked to AMR that same year, with 64,500 deaths directly caused by it, alongside a seven percent reduction in GDP and an 11 percent drop in livestock productivity. 

Dr. Idris described AMR as not only a health threat but also an economic and national security challenge.

Omotunde Adeola
Representative of Minister of Environment 

Representing the Honourable Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Omotunde Adeola, noted that AMR is equally an environmental crisis, worsened by poor waste management and contamination of soil and water. 

She stressed that protecting ecosystems is vital to sustaining the effectiveness of antibiotics and that the One Health approach remains essential for safeguarding health and the environment for future generations.

Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu
Former Minister of Health

Former Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for supporting Nigeria’s bid to host the conference and urged all stakeholders to deliver a productive, high-impact gathering that demonstrates Nigeria’s capacity to lead on the global stage.

The 2026 Conference will review global progress in implementing AMR commitments, reinforce political momentum by securing high-level pledges, build on the outcomes of previous Ministerial Conferences, and showcase context-driven innovations, particularly those emerging from low- and middle-income countries.

It will also strengthen One Health coordination by promoting cross-sectoral collaboration and endorse bold, transformative actions to be captured in the Abuja Outcome Document. 

Proposed flagship initiatives include equitable access to antimicrobials and diagnostics, optimising technology-driven solutions for surveillance and stewardship, sustainable financing for AMR action, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), WASH as a cornerstone of AMR prevention, and youth engagement and leadership.

At the close of the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Advisory Committee, the Ministers of Health, Livestock Development and Environment signed a joint press release officially announcing the conference dates for 29th–30th June 2026. 

The Abuja Conference will be the first AMR Ministerial Conference to be hosted on African soil, underlining Nigeria’s commitment to advancing Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) and African priorities in global AMR governance. 

Following previous editions in the Netherlands, Oman and Saudi Arabia, the Conference will convene Ministers, policymakers, UN agency heads, researchers, private sector leaders and civil society organisations to review progress, share solutions and drive concrete action to tackle AMR worldwide.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by Ben Bem Goong, Director, Information and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development Abuja.