New regional presence hosted by Amref Health Africa will bring implementation expertise closer to African governments and partners working to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Nairobi, Kenya, 27 August 2026 – The International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS) today officially launched ICARS Africa, a new regional presence based at Amref Health Africa’s headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, to strengthen locally led action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across the continent.
Initially funded by Wellcome, ICARS Africa will bring support closer to African governments, institutions and partners as they co-develop and implement practical, context-specific and sustainable solutions to AMR. Its work will span human, animal and environmental health, reflecting the One Health approach needed to address a challenge that crosses sectors and borders.
While AMR is a growing global crisis, African countries face a disproportionate burden, causing more deaths on the continent than HIV, TB and malaria combined. Africa CDC is projecting that by 2050, AMR-associated deaths could quadruple to 4.1 million per year in the region. At the same time, financing constraints, competing health priorities and gaps in implementation capacity continue to hinder progress. ICARS Africa was established to respond more effectively to national priorities and to ground ICARS’ work more deeply in African contexts.
As an implementation partner in the EU-funded Team Europe Initiative for Health Security in Africa, ICARS Africa will build on existing ICARS-supported projects and partnerships, working alongside African and global institutions to strengthen countries’ capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to AMR across human, animal, and environmental health.
ICARS Africa builds on ICARS’ growing portfolio across the continent, which includes more than 25 supported projects and over USD 14 million committed to AMR mitigation efforts. Establishing a team in Africa will enable ICARS to deepen these partnerships, respond more closely to country priorities and strengthen collaboration with African institutions working across the One Health spectrum.
“ICARS Africa represents an important step in how we work with countries and partners across the continent. By establishing a team in the region, we can build stronger and more responsive partnerships and remain closely connected to the realities in which AMR interventions are designed and implemented. Our ambition is to support country-led action
and help translate evidence into practical solutions that can be sustained and scaled. Eventually we aim to see similar developments in connection with our work in other regions of the world and ICARS Africa is a frontrunner in that regard.”
The launch builds on an existing partnership between ICARS and Amref Health Africa. Alongside hosting ICARS Africa, the two organisations will also develop collaborative AMR mitigation activities drawing on their respective expertise, networks and institutional strengths.
“The growing resistance towards the existing drugs and medications is affecting our ability to treat diseases in the region. While countries have made progress in setting priorities for addressing this threat through their National Action Plans, there is a need for continued investment and partnerships to implement these plans for our collective health security. We at Amref therefore celebrate ICARS as they establish their regional office here in Nairobi. Together, by leveraging our deep relationships with governments, health workers and communities across Africa, we will work with countries to translate evidence into locally led action across the human, animal and environmental health sectors, strengthening antimicrobial stewardship, preventing infections and protecting the effectiveness of life-saving medicines for generations to come,”
Dr Githinji Gitahi, the Group CEO, Amref Health Africa
The programme opened with remarks from Dr Titha Dzowela, Head of ICARS Africa, followed by reflections from Helle Engslund Krarup, Executive Director of ICARS, and Dr Henrik C. Wegener, Chair of the ICARS Board, on the journey towards establishing a regional presence in Nairobi. Dr Meshack Ndirangu provided Amref Health Africa’s perspective on the partnership. Guest of honour Dr Allan Azegele, Director of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, addressed participants before formally launching ICARS Africa.
“The launch of ICARS Africa creates an opportunity to work more closely and consistently with the organisations leading AMR action across the continent. We will build on Africa’s existing expertise and experience, partnering with countries and regional stakeholders to identify priority challenges, co-develop feasible solutions and generate evidence that can inform policy, practice and future investment.”
ICARS Africa will also contribute to wider regional and global efforts to address AMR. As part of ICARS’ role as an implementation partner in the EU-funded Team Europe Initiative for Health Security in Africa, it will work alongside African and global institutions to strengthen countries’ capacity to prevent, detect and respond to AMR across human, animal and environmental health.
The launch event brought together representatives from Kenyan ministries, Africa CDC, the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), ReAct Africa, the Zambia
National Public Health Institute, AfriCAN, Wellcome, the World Bank, academia and ICARS-supported project teams, among others. Reflecting the One Health approach, participants shared experiences and examples of practical AMR solutions from across sectors in Uganda, Kenya and Tunisia.
The launch followed ICARS Africa Science Day and meetings of the ICARS Board in Nairobi, creating opportunities for project teams, policymakers and partners to share implementation evidence, strengthen collaboration and contribute to shaping the next phase of ICARS’ work on the continent.
The event also saw the launch of the Sustainable Impact Resource Guide and Toolkit, developed by ICARS in collaboration with the One Health Development Initiative with contributions from partner organisations and researchers.
Following the launch, ICARS Africa will work with governments and partners to strengthen regional coordination, translate evidence into action and advance national AMR plans.
Notes to editor
Images available here.
Interview requests with ICARS and Amref spokespeople: communications@icars-global.org
Press contacts:
- Sephy Valuks, Programme Manager: Communications, sephy@icars-global.org
- Chloe Cole, Communications Officer, checo@icars-global.org
- Maureen Cherongis, Media Relations Officer, Amref Health Africa, maureen.cherongis@Amref.org
About the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS)
ICARS’ mission is to partner with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in their efforts to reduce drug-resistant infections. In partnership with LMIC ministries and local research institutions, ICARS co-develops interventions that provide evidence for context-specific, cost-effective solutions to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) suitable for sustainable scale-up.
Through the provision of funding and expertise, ICARS supports intervention and implementation research projects across the One Health spectrum to support countries’ AMR National Action Plans (NAPs).
About Amref Health Africa
Amref Health Africa, headquartered in Kenya, is the largest Africa-based international health and development organisation providing training and health services to over 20 million people annually in at least 30 countries in Africa. Amref Health Africa continues to evolve and innovate the approaches to increase sustainable health access among communities.
Amref manages a full range of medical and public health programmes tackling the most critical health challenges facing the continent – including global health emergencies, communicable and non-communicable diseases, neglected tropical diseases, maternal and child health, as well as water, sanitation, and climate change. Much of our credibility with local communities and African governments stems from the relationship and trust that we have built over the past 68 years. Our subsidiaries include: Amref Flying Doctors and the Amref International University.
