This executive summary lays out highlights from the report Filling the Gaps: Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance written by Max Bell School Master of Public Policy students Charlie Clark, Courtney White, Julian Tayarah, and Mahnoor Zaman as part of the 2026 Policy Lab.
Access the summary and presentation below, and read their full report here.
This report has been prepared for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) as part of the capstone project for the Max Bell School of Public Policy. IDRC is a Canadian federal crown corporation whose mission is to fund and support research internationally. IDRC tasked us with answering the following question: "To slow down the growing pace of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), what systems (infrastructure, authority, personnel, resources) need to be in place to measure, analyze, and respond to protect people, animals, and the environment from a OneHealth perspective in low-resource settings in the Global South?"
This project uses Kenya as a case study to form broader conclusions about AMR prevention in low-resource settings. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites no longer respond to antimicrobials used to treat them. The issue is multifaceted, and as such our team took a systems-level approach to addressing AMR's spread.
This brief is informed by a literature review and 23 interviews with 26 academics and professionals. Our research revealed four key insights: a lack of coordination is a barrier to efficient AMR policy implementation and resource use, there is a lack of incentives to change behaviour regarding antimicrobial use, there are critical knowledge gaps regarding AMR's spread in the environment, and AMR surveillance efforts face infrastructural capacity and data integration issues.
Following on from these insights, our policy recommendations address two key problems. First, the need to fill high-priority knowledge gaps that prevent Kenya from implementing an optimal AMR response. Second, the need for enhanced coordination across AMR governance structures and One Health sectors, both in Kenya and the broader region.
In light of these major issue areas, this policy brief recommends:
- That IDRC collaborate with local partners to conduct research on specific high-priority knowledge gaps relating to environmental transmission and surveillance interoperability in Kenya, involving local policymakers and other key stakeholders in designing and delivering that research to ensure its translation into effective policy outcomes; and
- That IDRC establish a regional hub that fosters opportunities for collaboration and knowledge- exchange among key stakeholders working across One Health siloes in AMR prevention and response throughout Eastern and Southern Africa.
By adopting these recommendations, IDRC can significantly contribute to the broader effort to address the spread of AMR in low-resource settings.
Download the full version of this report here.
Authors: Charlie Clark, Courtney White, Julian Tayarah, and Mahnoor Zaman
