INTRODUCTION
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to rise as one of the most urgent global health threats, projected to cause millions of deaths annually by 2050 and significant economic losses through increased healthcare costs and reduced productivity.
Sub-Saharan Africa carries one of the largest burdens, with high rates of infectious diseases, limited access to appropriate treatments, and weak health systems that worsen the spread and impact of AMR. At the same time, Africa is home to one of the youngest populations in the world. Young people, defined using the African Union’s 15–35 age range, represent a tremendous resource, energetic, innovative, and deeply connected to communities. Despite this, youth participation in AMR decision-making remains minimal, often reduced to symbolic involvement or basic awareness activities. This paper argues that such a limited role not only undermines the potential impact of youth but weakens the overall AMR response itself.
The Current State of Youth Engagement: Still Tokenistic
The article highlights that youth engagement in AMR across Africa remains largely tokenistic. Young people are frequently treated as disseminators of messages rather than strategic partners with valuable insights and lived experience. Structural barriers such as limited financing, power imbalances, lack of clear pathways into decision-making, and minimal institutional recognition have kept youth at the margins of AMR initiatives. As a result, policies often fail to reflect the realities young people face in communities, schools, markets, and households, spaces where antibiotic misuse, hygiene gaps, and infection risks are most pronounced. Without addressing these gaps, AMR programs risk ineffectiveness and poor sustainability.
Youth-Led Initiatives: Evidence of What is Possible
Although the broader engagement landscape is limited, the paper acknowledges the growing presence of youth-led and youth-focused organizations that are actively contributing to AMR awareness, education, research, community mobilization, and advocacy. These initiatives include youth AMR clubs, volunteer networks, mentorship programs, and innovation-driven labs that promote responsible antimicrobial use and preventive health practices. Their influence is visible in schools, universities, local communities, and digital spaces where young people naturally interact. These examples demonstrate the capability and willingness of African youth to take leadership in combating AMR, when given the opportunity.
Defining “Meaningful Engagement” in the AMR Context
The article stresses the need to shift from symbolic inclusion to meaningful youth engagement. Meaningful engagement recognizes young people as rights-holders and partners capable of shaping interventions. It requires valuing their knowledge, respecting their autonomy, and ensuring they participate with dignity and influence. Meaningful engagement also involves creating safe, inclusive spaces where youth can express ideas, lead initiatives, participate in research, contribute to policy, and collaborate with professionals across generations. The paper also emphasizes the importance of recognition, through authorship, certification, payment, and visibility, to ensure youth contributions are respected and sustained.
A Framework for Institutionalizing Youth Engagement
The authors propose a structured framework for integrating young people into national and regional AMR responses. This framework calls for formal inclusion of youth within AMR governance mechanisms, enabling them to participate in policy development, implementation, and evaluation. It encourages intergenerational collaboration that pairs the experience of older professionals with the creativity and community reach of youth. Strong investments in training, mentorship, and leadership development are also required to ensure youth possess the skills to participate meaningfully. Additionally, the framework highlights the necessity of dedicated funding, logistical support, and clear pathways for youth-led AMR innovation. Monitoring and accountability mechanisms should also involve youth, ensuring that their perspectives shape how success is measured and how improvements are made.
Why Youth Engagement Matters for Africa’s AMR Future
The paper argues that engaging young people is not only beneficial but essential. With their numbers, creativity, and deep community presence, youth offer practical and sustainable pathways to behavior change, especially around antibiotic use, hygiene, sanitation, and infection prevention. Their involvement brings innovation, fresh perspectives, and the ability to reach populations often overlooked by formal health systems. Importantly, youth are among the groups most affected by AMR today and will face its consequences in the coming decades. They therefore have a right to participate in shaping the solutions.
Conclusion
To effectively address AMR in Africa, youth must be recognized as co-creators rather than bystanders. Moving beyond tokenism towards meaningful engagement requires institutional commitment from governments, civil society, health actors, donors, and global partners. When young people are empowered, supported, and integrated into AMR systems, they can drive community-centered innovations, influence behavior change, and ensure resilient and context-appropriate responses. By embracing this partnership, Africa unlocks not only the potential of its young people but also a stronger, more sustainable pathway for combating AMR.