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A new study, the largest of its kind ever conducted in Africa, has discovered widespread drug resistance across 14 African countries. The research was conducted by the Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP), a network of African health scientists.
Led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), One Health Trust, and other development partners, researchers analysed over 187,000 test reports from 205 laboratories. The samples were collected between 2016 and 2019 in Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Financed by the UK Fleming Fund and US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the study urges governments to prioritise drug resistance at the national level. This involves investing in better laboratories, frequent testing, and stronger digital systems. Otherwise, the report warns, the growing threat of drug resistance can undo decades of progress in health and development.
“For African countries, AMR remains a complex problem, and it leaves countries with a million-dollar question: ‘Where do we start?’ This study illuminates unprecedented AMR data for African countries. We must act now—and together—to address AMR,” said Dr. Yewande Alimi, the One Health Unit Lead at Africa CDC.
Drug resistance occurs when bacteria change, making antibiotics (medicines used to treat infection) not work as well. That causes common infections to be harder to treat, more expensive to deal with, and more likely to spread.
The study specifically tested disease-causing bacteria like E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The concerning result was the extensive resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, a potent group of antibiotics, especially in Malawi and Ghana. In six countries, over half of the Staphylococcus aureus samples exhibited resistance to methicillin, an antibiotic frequently used in hospitals. Nigeria and Ghana reported over 70% resistance.
The research also found that certain groups are more vulnerable to drug-resistant infections. Individuals over the age of 65 were 28 percent more likely to have resistant infections than younger adults. Hospital patients were at a 24 percent higher risk, possibly because they are more likely to be exposed to antibiotics. Prior antibiotic therapy was also linked to more resistance.
The research also uncovered troubling deficiencies. Fewer than 2 percent of health facilities were capable of testing for bacterial infections, and only 12 percent of drug resistance reports were linked to patient information. Without such essential information, health officials struggle to understand the spread of resistance. Data quality varied across countries, with Senegal having the strongest systems in place, while Sierra Leone struggled with data collection. The majority of the laboratories still maintain handwritten records and lack reliable digital systems.
