From R-L: 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 today.
A multi-stakeholder workshop on “Strengthening AMR Surveillance, Biosafety and Climate-Smart Agriculture through a One Health Approach in Nigeria” has called for urgent, evidence-based action to address the growing risks linking animal, human and environmental health.
Supported by the Danida Fellowship Centre (DFC) and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the forum underscored the need for integrated solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Guided by DFC’s principles — Inspire, Connect, Act — the workshop brought together government agencies, experts, and members of the DAN-NG Alumni Community to strengthen national capacity in key areas of livestock and public health management. These include ethical animal husbandry, improved feed practices, enhanced disease detection, and responsible use of veterinary medicines to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Other focus areas were risk-based food safety inspections, climate-smart livestock systems, and strengthening animal identification and traceability across the value chain.
With the global AMR awareness theme for 2025 — “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future” — participants warned that AMR and climate change pose intertwined threats to food safety, vaccines, agricultural productivity and public health. They noted that climate change is fuelling some vaccine-preventable diseases, including yellow fever, through expanding vectors, extreme weather events and disruptions in immunisation services. Low-income countries, they stressed, remain most vulnerable.
The workshop featured officials from NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), as well as leading experts from academia and the livestock sector.
Nigeria and Denmark’s Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC), established in 2020, has delivered more than 44 joint projects promoting sustainable livestock production, climate-resilient agriculture and stronger animal health systems. Stakeholders said the collaboration continues to modernise livestock practices, improve food safety and expand the adoption of One Health-driven solutions.
Describing the workshop as a platform for learning, innovation and practical action, organisers expressed hope that the knowledge generated would influence policy, strengthen communities and advance climate-smart agriculture nationwide.
Quoting an African proverb , “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”, Coordinator of DAN-NG and Chief Regulatory Officer at NAFDAC, Sidikat Kamal, said the gathering reflected a shared commitment to go far together in safeguarding food systems, public health and environmental sustainability.