Experts urge improved funding to curb drug resistance

Antimicrobial resistance. Photo credit: Nigeria health watch

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Experts on Thursday called for increased funding, stronger public awareness, and more coordinated action to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Nigeria.

They made the appeal in Abuja during a multi-stakeholder engagement focused on resource allocation for AMR surveillance and containment.

The World Health Organisation stated that AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death.

As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective, and infections become increasingly difficult—or impossible—to treat.

According to the WHO Representative and Head of Mission to Nigeria, Dr. Pavel Ursu, over 60,000 lives have been lost each year since 1990 due to AMR.

In her presentation, a global health and strategic communications specialist, Omolara Oyinlola, described AMR as a One Health challenge affecting humans, animals, and the environment.

Oyinlola stated that although Nigeria has made incremental improvements in AMR surveillance, significant gaps remain.

She noted that surveillance networks exist across the human, animal, and environmental sectors, supported by national reference laboratories, but these systems still require substantial strengthening.

She, however, highlighted that weak enforcement of antimicrobial regulations, limited public awareness, and insufficient surveillance data hinder national progress.

She added that a shortage of trained personnel, minimal involvement of sub-national actors, and inadequate budgetary allocation further undermine efforts to control AMR.

She warned that without adequate funding, activities aimed at tackling AMR may not yield the expected results.

“AMR is a financing problem as much as it is a technical one. Surveillance and containment fail when budgets are absent, fragmented, or short-term.

“When there is no budget to support our activities, our efforts may not yield results,” she said.

Oyinlola added that the global economy could lose an estimated $100 trillion to AMR by 2050, while Nigeria requires about $77 million to effectively address the threat.

Also speaking at the event, a public health policy and management professional Dr. Laz Eze said AMR is a major public health challenge that affects everybody.

Dr. Eze noted that resistance has made it increasingly difficult for antibiotics and other antimicrobials to work effectively.

“Because of the difficulty in treating some of these conditions, many people are having complications, and many are dying,” he said.

He called for deliberate investments that match the scale of the AMR threat and urged stronger collaboration between government, civil society organisations, and development partners.

“Government alone cannot solve this problem. Civil society organisations, the private sector, and communities must be part of the response,” he said.

Also speaking, Deputy Director at the National Assembly, Grace Tyowua, said financing health projects is crucial to ensuring Nigeria can effectively respond to AMR and other emerging health threats.

Tyowua stated that legislative support for AMR interventions would improve accountability, strengthen resource allocation, and ensure that approved funds are released and utilised.

“We must prioritise health financing and ensure that AMR activities are properly funded, monitored, and evaluated,” she said.

She also called for stronger collaboration between the executive and legislative arms, which would help sustain long-term AMR programmes.

The PUNCH journalist, Lara, has over 10 years experience covering health, environment and CSOs

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