As Tanzania co-hosted the 7th Africa Continental World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness
Week(WAAW) in December 2025, One Health Society(OHS) stood at the forefront of
continental efforts to strengthen political leadership and coordinated action against antimicrobial
resistance.
Throughout the week, OHS played a central role by providing both technical expertise and
strategic coordination. Working closely with national and regional partners, we ensured that
political leadership and the One Health approach remained core to the conversations taking
place across the continental platform.
A key feature of our engagement was hosting an interactive booth together with Tanzanian
Parliamentarians, which created a rare and meaningful space for dialogue on political influence,
AMR governance, and the role of legislators in translating science into policy. This engagement
reinforced the importance of sustained parliamentary involvement in elevating AMR from a
technical health issue to a national development and governance priority.
We also contributed to the scientific and policy discourse by sharing two abstract presentations
that explored gaps in AMR awareness and equity in Tanzania, while demonstrating how
engaging parliamentarians can serve as a powerful model for accelerating national action.
These contributions emphasized the need for inclusive communication strategies that reach
underserved communities and ensure that AMR interventions leave no one behind.
On the sidelines of the awareness week, OHS, in collaboration with the Tanzania
Parliamentarians Alliance on AMR and with support from the American Society for Microbiology,
convened a high-level workshop focused on sustainable financing for AMR interventions. The
discussion took place at a critical moment, as Tanzania faces declining global health funding
and the closure of the Fleming Fund, which has historically been the leading donor partner of
AMR activities in the country. With an estimated 61 billion Tanzanian Shillings required to fully
implement the National AMR Action Plan, the workshop positioned Parliamentarians who play
a central role in budget oversight as key champions for domestic resource mobilization. The
outcomes of the dialogue culminated in a formal resolution to be presented to multisectorial
ministries as a call to action for sustained investment in the fight against AMR.
A defining moment of the week was the recognition of One Health Society by His Excellency
Ambassador Emmanuel Nchimbi, Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania. We
received a continental trophy honoring our pioneering role as the first organization in Africa to
establish a Parliamentarians Alliance on AMR. This recognition reflects our sustained
commitment to strengthening political leadership, accountability, and governance in the AMR
response, and our role in positioning Tanzania as a continental model for political engagement
on AMR.
