Something dangerous is quietly brewing in hospitals and clinics across Africa – and Nigeria is not spared. It’s not a new virus, and it’s not another pandemic. It’s something we’ve known about for years but have done little to stop: drug-resistant infections.
In a new eye-opening report by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Nigeria and 13 other African countries have been flagged for increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance – or AMR, for short. That’s the fancy term for what happens when the medicines we rely on to treat infections stop working.
Think of it this way: when you have a stubborn infection, you go to the hospital, they give you antibiotics, and you expect to feel better in a few days. But now, the drugs are failing. And the infections? They’re not only refusing to go away – they’re getting worse, spreading faster, and becoming more expensive and difficult to treat.
This isn’t just another academic report gathering dust. It’s the largest study of its kind ever done in Africa. Conducted under the Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP), the study analysed over 187,000 lab test results from 205 laboratories between 2016 and 2019.
The results were troubling: drug resistance is spreading fast in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and 10 others. In these countries, bacteria like E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus – usually the culprits behind serious infections – are no longer responding to common treatments.
Of particular concern are Nigeria and Ghana, where resistance to a key group of antibiotics – third-generation cephalosporins – is alarmingly high. In simple terms, these are powerful drugs used when other medicines fail. Now, even they are struggling.
In Nigeria and Ghana, over 70% of Staphylococcus aureus samples were resistant to methicillin, one of the most used antibiotics in hospitals. That means patients admitted for something as simple as a skin or wound infection could end up battling a life-threatening superbug.
“This is no longer a future problem. It is here. It’s already in our hospitals, in our communities, and sadly, in some of our children,” said Dr. Yewande Alimi of Africa CDC.
The study also found that elderly people, hospitalised patients, and those who’ve used antibiotics frequently are more likely to get these resistant infections.
Those above the age of 65 had a 28% higher chance of contracting a resistant infection. Hospital patients had a 24% higher risk, likely due to the heavy use of antibiotics in medical settings – sometimes even when they’re not needed.
In Nigeria, self-medication is all too common. Many people buy antibiotics over the counter, pop a few, and stop halfway once they “feel okay”. But that careless habit gives bacteria enough time to adapt – and fight back.
As one pharmacist in Lagos quipped, “We Nigerians like to fight bacteria the way we fight NEPA: randomly and without a plan.”
While the findings are alarming, perhaps even more worrying is the lack of proper data. Only 12% of resistance records had patient information attached, making it hard to trace the source or spread of infections.
And get this – fewer than 2% of health facilities in the countries studied had the capacity to test for bacterial infections at all. In many labs, records are still written by hand, and digital systems are nearly non-existent.
Senegal is leading the pack with better surveillance, while countries like Sierra Leone are still struggling to build reliable systems.
The report warns that if urgent action isn’t taken, drug resistance could undo years of progress in public health. Diseases once easy to treat could become death sentences again.
“We’re facing a silent pandemic,” the report says. “And unlike COVID-19, this one doesn’t make headlines – it just quietly kills.”
Supported by the UK’s Fleming Fund and the US CDC, the study is a loud call to African governments: make AMR a national priority. That means investing in proper labs, better health data, regular testing, and smarter drug use.
Dr. Alimi summed it up with a million-dollar question: “Where do we start from?”
The answer, according to health experts, is: everywhere. From training health workers to improving lab capacity, creating national databases, and regulating how antibiotics are sold – it all needs to happen now.
Because one thing is clear: drug resistance is not just a medical issue. It’s a threat to economic growth, public safety, and even food security.
For Nigeria, the time to act is yesterday. But if we start today – properly – we just might still have a fighting chance.
As a wise Nigerian proverb says: “If you wait for the drumbeat before you start dancing, the party may leave you behind.”
The dance against AMR has started. Nigeria must not be left standing.
