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.
