ComBac-Africa showcases fight against AMR at UNGA80 Science Summit 2025

Every year, the UN Science Summit brings together global experts to discuss the role of science in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future. This year’s theme, “Science within Planetary Boundaries” highlighted the importance of scientific innovation in addressing global health challenges while respecting the planet’s natural boundaries.

The ComBac-Africa project was invited to contribute to a side session at this year’s event, hosted by the EDCTP. Titled “One Health: Genomics for health – Africa-Europe cooperation for health security in a changing climate”, the hybrid-session took place on 25 September 2025, and was chaired by Dr Michael Makanga, Executive Director of Global Health EDCTP3.

Strengthening Africa-Europe cooperation on health challenges

The session explored how cross-continental research and innovation partnerships between Africa and Europe are vital to tackling health threats exacerbated by climate change. Presentations showcased how Global Health EDCTP3 and its partners are advancing our understanding of climate-driven infectious disease risks and are focusing on accelerating the development of essential health technologies - such as vaccines, diagnostics, medicines, and vector-control innovations – to strengthen the capacity of research institutions across both continents.

ComBac-Africa’s mission to fight the spread of AMR

As part of the session, ComBac-Africa’s project coordinator, Prof Sören Becker (Saarland University), and scientific lead, Prof Aaron Aboderin (Obafemi Awolowo University), shared the project’s ambitious four-year mission to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on the African continent. Their talk highlighted the threat AMR poses to global health, with sub-Saharan Africa bearing a particularly heavy burden, and outlined how ComBac-Africa’s One Health approach – which links human, animal, and environmental health - can drive effective and sustainable solutions to this growing crisis. By strengthening diagnostics, improving equitable access to life-saving antibiotics, increasing our understanding of bacteria and their transmission pathways, and developing treatment-optimising algorithms, the project aims to transform how severe infections are managed. Working in close collaboration with partners in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, and Nigeria, these strategies will be put into practice through a clinical trial that will test their potential to improve outcomes for patients facing life-threatening infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

For ComBac-Africa, the event was a great opportunity to share the project’s mission to fight the spread of AMR with fellow scientists and international stakeholders and highlight the strength of the consortium’s global partnership at the heart of the project.