Ethiopia has made incredible progress in its efforts to prevent and contain antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by hosting a 3-day Smart Choice Process Workshop in collaboration with the AMR Policy Accelerator. This initiative was held from August 14th to 16th in Addis Ababa. Throughout the workshop, 36 experts from human, agricultural, animal, and environmental sectors convened to identify priority interventions that will drive impactful, evidence-based action for strategic AMR planning and implementation.
In collaboration with leadership across the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Authority, Vesela Ivanova and Dr. Kadia Petricca were onsite to support the multi-sectoral prioritization that will inform Ethiopia’s next One Health AMR Prevention & Containment Strategic Plan (2026–2030).
Key Reflections and Lessons Learned
As the workshop progressed, a variety of key themes and lessons emerged. First, experts agreed to prioritize building on lessons learned from the previous Strategic Plan to catalyze future impact. Moreover, the power of strengthened data capture and sharing across sectors for monitoring progress was discussed. Additionally, the takeaways from the workshop include: the need for ongoing sectoral coordination mechanisms and the importance of innovative domestic financing to sustain action.
Workshop Highlights
We were honoured to open the Smart Choice Process workshop with inspiring remarks from H.E. Mrs. Frehiwot Abebe, State Minister of Health, and Dr. Alemayehu Mekonnen, Senior Advisor to the State Minister of Agriculture, who emphasized the critical importance of cross-sector coordination and strategic prioritization, particularly in the face of resource constraints.
Gratitude for Our Global Network
A heartfelt thank you to the Government of Ethiopia—the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency—for your leadership and stewardship throughout this process. We are excited to see how these priorities will shape Ethiopia’s renewal of their One Health AMR Prevention and Containment Strategic Plan, launching later this year.
We extend our appreciation to our Ethiopian governmental partners and the outstanding Core Team members—Edessa Diriba Chemeda, Wendosen Shewarega, Markos Paulos Amonie, Gebrie Alebachew, Hailemariam Eshete, Dr. Berhanu Seyoum Endale (PhD), Dr. Sisay Getachew Deressa, Gashaw Adane Erkyihun, Dr. Solomon Kebede Kotu, Dr. Gizat Almaw, and Wedmnew Abrie Mekonnen—for their leadership in steering this important process.
We are also deeply grateful to Wellcome for their generous support, making this collaboration possible and advancing our shared goal of a stronger, more coordinated AMR response.
As this workshop marks our final Smart Choice Process Workshop of 2025, we also want to extend our gratitude to each of our in-country partners for a year of intense co-learning, co-developing, and collaboration. This collective effort has embodied the spirit needed to advance sustainable, One Health-driven action on AMR.
The Future of AMR Interventions
If you would like to learn about the Smart Choice Process and how you can get involved in future AMR initiatives, visit: Smart Choice Process.
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