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Ethiopia launched the fourth National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance during World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025 commemoration
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Ethiopia commemorated World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025 with a high-level national event held at the Africa CDC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, where the Government officially launched the Fourth National Action Plan for the Prevention and Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 2026–2030. The event took place under the global theme “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future.”
Senior leaders from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Authority joined representatives from WHO, FAO, Africa CDC, UKHSA, and other partners to highlight the urgent need for coordinated action to address AMR through a One Health approach.
In her keynote address, HE Dr Mekdes Daba, Minister of Health, underscored that AMR remains a growing global threat, directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths every year and associated with almost 5 million deaths worldwide. She noted that without decisive action, AMR-related mortality could increase by 70% by 2050, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries.
Reflecting on Ethiopia's progress, the Minister highlighted achievements under the previous AMR plan, including a 59% increase in AMR awareness among healthcare workers, establishment of 26 AMR sentinel surveillance sites, implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs in 328 health facilities, and strengthened infection prevention and control across the country. She also emphasized remaining gaps, including limited diagnostic capacity, shortages of skilled laboratory personnel, and inadequate regulatory enforcement.
The newly launched National Action Plan (NAP) 4.0 was developed through a rigorous, evidence-informed process, beginning with an end-term evaluation of the previous NAP to identify gaps, achievements, and lessons learned. Based on this assessment, a broad set of interventions was proposed—fully aligned with the Global Action Plan on AMR, informed by other countries' experiences, and guided by WHO's people-centered approach and related global AMR guidance. The SMART Choice prioritization tool was then applied to systematically select the most strategic, feasible, and high-impact interventions across the One Health spectrum. Subsequently, the WHO AMR costing and budgeting tool was used to establish a clear and realistic financial framework. The result is NAP 4.0: a comprehensive, evidence-based, and fully costed five-year plan designed to strengthen AMR surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, laboratory systems, infection prevention and control, community awareness, and One Health coordination.
Partners, including the World Health Organisation, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ethiopia's implementation of NAP 4.0. WHO underscored the importance of sustained collaboration across sectors and pledged continued technical assistance for strengthening national AMR governance, surveillance, diagnostics, capacity building, and risk communication.
The event concluded with a multisectoral panel discussion, where government leaders and partners highlighted sector-specific roles and opportunities to accelerate implementation of the new plan. Participants expressed strong commitment to working together to reduce the burden of AMR and protect the effectiveness of life-saving medicines.
The launch of NAP 4.0 marks a significant milestone in Ethiopia's AMR response and ushers in a new phase of coordinated, evidence-based action to safeguard health, food security, and the environment. WHO remains a committed partner in supporting national efforts to “Act Now” for a safer future.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) - Ethiopia.Ethiopia Launches Fourth National Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance
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Ethiopia has unveiled its fourth National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), reaffirming its commitment to tackling this pressing global health threat.
The launch places Ethiopia among a growing number of African countries with firm strategies to address AMR, which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to withstand drugs designed to kill them.
Support for this effort was provided by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the World Bank, and the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC).
“Resistance to infection is rising worldwide. Without decisive measures, by 2050 we could see a 70% increase in AMR-related impacts, costing the global economy an estimated USD 1 trillion,” warned Ethiopia's Minister of Health, Dr Mekdes Daba. Speaking at the launch event marking World AMR Awareness Week, she described antimicrobial resistance as a growing crisis that demands urgent and coordinated action.
Africa CDC Deputy Director General, Dr Raji Tajudeen, echoed this concern, calling AMR “no longer a silent pandemic.” Ranked among the top ten global public health threats, AMR is already undermining health systems, food safety, economic growth, and environmental stability across Africa. “This is not a distant threat – it is a present reality,” he said.
Africa currently accounts for over one million AMR-related deaths annually, representing approximately 21% of the global toll. Without immediate action, projections indicate that by 2050 AMR-related deaths in Africa could soar to 4.1 million each year, pushing millions into extreme poverty and reversing decades of progress in infectious disease control.
Ethiopia's new action plan positions the country as a continental leader, setting a model for progress and inspiring other nations to act. Dr Mekdes highlighted Ethiopia's strong track record, including its active membership in the Global Leaders Group on AMR and its success in increasing AMR awareness among health professionals by 50%. The country has also conducted over 54 public awareness campaigns, mobilising communities to confront this growing threat.
Dr Tajudeen noted Africa's progress on antimicrobial resistance, citing strengthened national coordination committees, enhanced surveillance and laboratory capacity, and baseline data from the influential Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP) study, supported by the AU's Landmark AMR Report released in 2024.
Yet challenges remain, including poor access to quality diagnostics and medicines, underfunded action plans, weak infection prevention and control, limited data for policymaking, and fragmented One Health surveillance systems.
“I would like to encourage Member States to ensure that AMR remains one of the critical agendas at the highest political levels, including within AU bodies,” said Dr Tajudeen.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).