The Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) hosted an intensive four-day conference bringing together leading scientists, public health professionals, and policy experts from across Africa for the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR) Vaccines to Control Antimicrobial Resistance (VacAMR) Inaugural Meeting.
The event, which was held at Aqua Safari Resort, Big Ada, brought together global health research collaborators in the fight against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) with a particular focus on leveraging vaccine strategies, diagnostic innovations, and community-led interventions to combat AMR and shape policies on AMR.
The conference opened with a welcome address from Dr. Patrick Ansah, the Director of Navrongo Health Research Centre and host of the inaugural meeting. In his address, Dr. Ansah welcomed the attendees from their various institutions and expressed gratitude, stating how such a gathering will be instrumental to the goal of the NIHR VacAMR-funded program. He entreated attendees to participate fully to ensure the success of the conference.
Director of NHRC, Dr. Patrick Ansah delivering his address
Following Dr. Ansah’s welcome address, Professor Brenda Kwambana-Adams, the Director of the NIHR VacAMR program, delivered a comprehensive overview of the program. In her presentation, she stated that the general objective of the VacAMR program is born out of the data, which shows that there is an estimated 2 million lower respiratory infections deaths globally, and out of this figure, 25 percent are children below the ages of five years in western sub-Saharan Africa. She added that in 2019, there was a record 1.3 million bacterial AMR attributable deaths, but these deaths due to AMR respiratory pathogens are vaccine preventable; hence, the VacAMR project will investigate whether the control of infections and deaths due to respiratory pathogens and AMR can be improved through vaccine and non-vaccine multimodal interventions.
Professor Brenda Kwambana-Adams, Director of NIHR VacAMR Program
In another key highlight, Dr. Abraham Oduro, the Director of the Research and Development Division (RDD) of Ghana Health Service, who represented Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, the Director General of Ghana Health Service, delivered a keynote address emphasizing the need to integrate AMR initiatives into national health policy.
The event progressed into thematic presentations from various work VacAMR packages: Work Package 1, which concentrates on Multimodal Interventions, Work Package 2, which centers on Diagnostics and Sequencing and Work Package 3, which revolves around Vaccine Immunity and Protection. This session was followed by lightning talks from early career researchers, showcasing groundbreaking studies on respiratory surveillance, vaccine responses, genomic epidemiology, and the role of bacterial resistance in neonatal health across African settings.
Notable presentations during the Early Career Researchers Lightning Talks included presentations from young scientists from the Navrongo Health Research Centre. Jeremiah Ganyo presented on Impaired IgG Responses to Pneumococcal Proteins in High-Risk Populations. Ganyo’s cross-sectional study sought to evaluate age-specific IgG responses to pneumococcal proteins, the influence of geographical location on IgG response to pneumococcal proteins, and to identify antigens with weaker IgG response in populations at risk of pneumococcal infection. In his findings, it was established that IgG responses to pneumococcal proteins were inversely associated with pneumococcal disease incidence; five pneumococcal proteins elicited strong immune responses in immunocompetent groups, highlighting their potential as vaccine candidates, and elderly males showed weaker IgG recognition of pneumococcal proteins compared to females. He therefore underscored that these findings suggest a potential role for anti-protein antibodies in protection against pneumococcal diseases.
Jeremiah Ganyo presenting on Impaired IgG Responses to Pneumococcal Proteins in High-risk Populations
In a similar presentation, Cecilia Bugbillah presented on the Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Streptococcus Pneumoniae Carriage Isolates in a Meningitis-Endemic Region. The study, which was conducted in March 2024, revealed a 21.5 percent carriage rate among healthy individuals, with a dominance of non-vaccine serotypes and widespread multidrug resistance. While ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin showed strong efficacy, many isolates were resistant to Penicillin and Tetracycline. The persistence of vaccine-type serotypes signals potential challenges in disease control. The study underscores the urgent need for updated treatment guidelines and continued surveillance to combat rising AMR in pneumococcal infection.
Cecilia Bugbillah presenting on the Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Streptococcus Pneumoniae Carriage Isolates in a Meningitis-Endemic Region
The final full day featured parallel leadership development workshops tailored for early-career researchers, mid-career professionals, and senior scientists. Notable facilitators included Dr. Jason Mwenda, Prof. Rob Heyderman, and Prof. Tivani Mashamba-Thompson, who guided participants through modules on strategic leadership, collaboration, and policy engagement.
The meeting culminated in a comprehensive address by Dr. Jide Idris, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), who presented the “Nigeria Action Plan on AMR.” The closing session reflected on the shared commitment of participants to scale vaccine-centered strategies, enhance surveillance, and empower local communities through evidence-based policies.
The NIHR VacAMR Annual Meeting 2025 reaffirmed the importance of collaboration, innovation, and community empowerment in addressing one of the most pressing health threats of our time