Nigeria, Denmark deepen collaboration on AMR control, food safety, climate challenges

By : Musa Adekunle

Date: 29 November 2025 9:37pm WAT

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Representative of Minister of LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT, Dr Salome Bawa, Chief Regulatory Officer of NAFDAC, Hajiya Sidikat KAMAL and Representative of DG( NAFDAC), Hajiya Ummu Bobboi at the National Workshop on Strengthening Anti-Microbial Resistance Surveillance held in Abuja

Representative of Minister of LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT, Dr Salome Bawa, Chief Regulatory Officer of NAFDAC, Hajiya Sidikat KAMAL and Representative of DG( NAFDAC), Hajiya Ummu Bobboi at the National Workshop on Strengthening Anti-Microbial Resistance Surveillance held in Abuja

Nigeria and Denmark have reaffirmed their joint commitment to tackling antimicrobial resistance, improving food safety and strengthening climate-smart agriculture through the One Health approach.

The Coordinator of DAN-NG and Chief Regulatory Officer at National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Sidikat Kamal, said this in a statement during the One Health engagement, noting that both countries are expanding technical cooperation to protect public health and modernise livestock systems.

According to her, the programme addressed “the urgent need for integrated evidence-driven solutions at the intersection of animal, human and environmental health.”

She added that the work aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and supports Nigeria’s push to build stronger, more resilient food systems.

The engagement, supported by the Danida Fellowship Centre and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, brought together experts, government regulators and members of the DAN-NG Alumni Community to reinforce national capacity across key sectors.

Priority areas highlighted in the statement include “promoting ethical animal husbandry and feed management to prevent contamination and improve nutritional outcomes” as well as “strengthening animal identification, registration and traceability across the livestock value chain.”

Kamal noted that early disease detection and outbreak response remain major concerns, with the programme focusing on “enhancing detection, prevention and response to infectious and transboundary animal diseases.”

The statement also warned against misuse of antibiotics in livestock production, stressing the need for “encouraging responsible use of veterinary medicines and antibiotics through robust AMR stewardship.”

On food safety, the engagement underscored the importance of “supporting risk-based food safety inspections and regulatory compliance” and “promoting climate-smart and environmentally sustainable livestock systems.”

Kamal said this year’s global AMR theme, Act Now Protect Our Present Secure Our Future (2025), “reinforces the urgency of collective action” as AMR and climate change pose rising threats to vaccines, agriculture and community health, especially in lower-income settings.

The statement acknowledged the participation of NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, academia and other regulatory institutions.

Nigeria’s partnership with Denmark, established under the Strategic Sector Cooperation in 2020, has delivered more than 44 joint projects aimed at improving livestock productivity, food safety, and sustainable agricultural practices across the country.

Describing the engagement, Kamal said it served as “a platform for learning, collaboration, innovation and practical action.”

Calling for unity, she added, “May the knowledge generated ripple outward inform policy, strengthen communities and advance climate-smart One Health-aligned agricultural systems across Nigeria

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