Scientists Engaged in Research Activity to Address Antimicrobial Resistance in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa December 11/2023 (ENA)  A five-day workshop is underway from multiple disciplines and sectors to develop action research to address the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) gaps in Ethiopia.

Associate Professor at Addis Ababa University, Mirgissa Kaba said  the university is the multiplier of Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA) project, with several stakeholders including public sector, universities, and research institutions in the country.

 

The university has run two rounds of a delphi process to identify key areas of focus for one health solutions, he said, adding the process has helped to identify antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a high priority topic for Ethiopia.

“We did a delphi survey amongst public sectors, NGOs, teaching and research institutions that are working on one aims to identify antimicrobial resistance. And that was defined as a priority cause of concern because, as we know, antimicrobial resistance is a global concern,” he added.

Principal Scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute of Arusha, Tanzania, Theo Knight-Jones on his part  said COHESA is an EU funded project working across 12 countries in Africa.

 

COHESA aims to generate an inclusive research and innovation ecosystem, by facilitating rapid uptake, adaption, and adoption of solutions to One Health (OH) issues, he added.

“This week, we have an activity to try and improve research in this area. And the particular specific topic they want to look at here in Ethiopia is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR),”he elaborated.

We have different teams who will be pitching their ideas on how to come up with a research project and implementation project to better deal with the issue of antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major problems facing humanity at the moment and it is called the silent pandemic, he said, adding that many millions around the world die each year and the medicines become less effective because they are overused, especially as a concept.