Drafting and showcasing a national Antimicrobial Use Report: A lever for national action

The WOAH Regional Representation for Africa, in partnership with the Government of Togo, hosted the regional training workshop entitled: “Drafting and Showcasing a National Antimicrobial Use Report: A Strategic Lever for National Action – Workshop for Francophone Africa.”

The workshop brought together three technical experts from each of the seven selected WOAH Members — the Veterinary Products Focal Point, the AMR Contact Point, and a representative of the National Medicines or Drug Regulatory Authority. These countries were chosen based on the rigour and consistency of their antimicrobial use (AMU) reporting over the past three years, as well as the demonstrated quality of their data in ANIMUSE.

Workshop objectives:

Institutionalise national data collection processes: support country teams in strengthening leadership, ownership and command of their national systems for AMU data collection, management and analysis.
• Develop a first draft of the National AMU Report and a decision-support brief for policymakers.
• Highlight the experiences of pilot countries to serve as inspiring models for regional advocacy and peer-to-peer learning.
• Advance developments related to the ANIMUSE platform and reinforce its operational integration.
• Enhance transparency and the value of antimicrobial use data.

Expected outcomes:

Strengthened capacity of participants to implement effective, evidence-based actions in their respective countries.
Production of a National AMU Report in animal health and an accompanying summary brief, ready to be presented to policymakers or the One Health committee at the end of the training, with the possibility of public dissemination.
Reinforced advocacy on the strategic importance of AMU data for guiding public policies.
Establishment of a network of “ANIMUSE Ambassadors” across Francophone African countries, able to promote the tool, support national roll-out, and contribute to the capacity-building of country teams.

A workshop in action: learning by doing:

The workshop adopted a hands-on, practice-oriented approach, placing participants at the centre of the learning process. Each national team worked directly on its own report, using real national data, to ensure that capacity building was firmly anchored in each country’s operational context.

This practical exercise was supported by a rigorous preparatory process. Well before the workshop in Togo, online meetings and tailored guidance were organised to help countries prepare their analyses. Each team produced a demonstration poster showcasing the progress of its work; these were displayed and discussed in plenary during the workshop.

Participants also benefited from continuous technical support provided by the WOAH team and subject-matter experts, helping them strengthen the quality of their analyses, improve the structure of their reports, and refine their interpretation of AMU data.

As a result, the workshop enabled seven francophone African countries to reach an important milestone: each team now has a clear plan to publish its first national report on antimicrobial use by May 2026 — a key step toward greater transparency and stronger action against antimicrobial resistance.