The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy has urged governments attending the Fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance in Nigeria to translate global commitments into concrete action.

BSAC made the call in a statement on Tuesday ahead of the conference to be held in Nigeria in December.

The society said the conference, which will bring together health, agriculture, and environment ministers from across the world, must go beyond reading statements to drive implementation and delivery of existing global commitments on AMR.

It noted that the conference would be the first time the global high-level ministerial meeting would be held on the African continent.

According to BSAC, the meeting comes at a critical time as deaths linked to AMR continue to rise globally, with Africa bearing a disproportionate burden.

The society said governments, UN organisations and civil society groups must use the conference to strengthen collaboration and political commitment to address the growing threat of drug-resistant infections.

It said the Abuja Compact, which member states are expected to agree on at the conference, would be an important instrument for translating commitments into practical action.

BSAC said the compact would focus on key areas, including prevention; access to vaccines, diagnostics and antimicrobial treatments; accountability, governance and workforce capacity; and sustainable financing.

The society, however, called for antimicrobial stewardship and education and training of the AMR workforce to be explicitly recognised as essential components of the Compact.

It said strengthening the capacity of health professionals would be critical to ensuring that antimicrobials were used appropriately across health systems.

BSAC said it had joined other global voices, including ReAct and the World Medical Association, to recommend concrete measures to strengthen education, training and antimicrobial stewardship across the healthcare workforce.

It called on governments to ensure health systems equip and support professionals with the practical skills, data and tools needed to use antimicrobials responsibly and communicate effectively with patients and communities.

The society also advocated continuous learning, quality improvement and professional development for the AMR workforce, alongside mechanisms for benchmarking and recognising progress in antimicrobial stewardship.

BSAC said the recommendations reflected the concerns and priorities of its global membership and aimed to strengthen the capacity of health workers to contribute effectively to national and global AMR responses.

It said it was ready to work with member states and civil society organisations at the December conference to support efforts to build a world where the AMR workforce is adequately equipped and empowered to use antimicrobials responsibly.

BSAC is a global community of infection experts focused on equipping the healthcare workforce with knowledge, tools and training to address drug-resistant infections.