Establishing a One Health AMR Community of Practice in Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract To support the objectives set out in Nigeria’s national action plan for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), we established a One Health AMR Community of Practice comprised of Fleming Fund Fellows and their mentors. This community is a multi-disciplinary team dedicated to addressing AMR in human and animal health sectors, with members from Nigeria, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. We undertook gap analyses of the systems in Fleming Fellows’ laboratories and institutions to identify areas for support. Tailor-made capacity support programmes were developed for each Fellow. Fellows visited their mentors’ institutes for in-person coaching, and subsequently implemented strengthened processes at their home institutes. The community has trained 178 Nigerian scientists from Government, academic, and private laboratories, by delivering courses comprising classroom teaching and hands-on laboratory sessions. This up-skilling of Nigerian laboratory staff, through the ‘train-the-trainer’ approach, has enhanced capacity to produce high-quality microbiological data. The community has completed One Health collaborative projects investigating AMR in livestock, in-contact humans, the farm environment, and hospital submissions. We have held feedback sessions with stakeholders to raise awareness of AMR and provided advice on measures such as biosecurity, which can help to prevent disease and therefore reduce the need for antimicrobial use. The establishment of this community has helped to strengthen personal and institutional capacities in Nigeria, Denmark, and the United Kingdom and created a network of scientists working together to tackle AMR. This community has contributed to One Health AMR surveillance systems and supported the implementation of Nigeria’s national action plan for AMR. Information © The Authors 2023