Nigeria in Antimicrobial and Post-Antimicrobial Eras, 1940 – Present

The research examines how Nigeria has responded to technical problems around the production and use of antibiotics since the 1950s. The goal is to understand the social-cultural, economic, and political factors that have shaped the country’s approach towards global antibiotics programmes. It also identifies how various actors within national health institutions and research departments have responded to these local dynamics over the years. These contexts fill important gaps in the history of antibiotics as it explains the antimicrobial resistance problem from the perspective of Low-and-Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Existing narratives are global histories that are weaved around initiatives brewed and sponsored by High-Income Countries (HICs). By implication, this research contributes to the agency question in the historiography and anthropology of global health research by revealing the ambivalences in national health institutions’ roles and activities in global antimicrobial resistance campaigns. This could assist major stakeholders interested and invested in the Nigerian health sector to appreciate Nigeria’s specific context in the global efforts to solve the problem. Keywords: Nigeria, antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, World Health Organisation, drugs