INTRODUCTION:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global public health threat, with Sub-Saharan Africa bearing the highest burden. Despite Africa’s youthful demographic, nearly 70% of the population is under 30, young people remain largely excluded from AMR policy, governance, and implementation processes. This exclusion limits the equity, sustainability, and effectiveness of AMR responses. The objective of this paper is to examine the current landscape of youth engagement in AMR initiatives across Africa and makes the case for institutionalizing equitable and meaningful youth engagement as a core pillar of AMR mitigation.

METHODS:
The paper synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed literature, scoping and umbrella reviews on youth participation in health, and documented case studies of youth-led and youth-serving AMR initiatives across Africa. Using the World Health Organization’s Global Consensus Statement on Meaningful Adolescent and Youth Engagement as a guiding framework, this paper articulates key principles and practical strategies for embedding youth as co-creators in AMR responses.

RESULTS:
Findings indicate that youth engagement in AMR initiatives is often tokenistic, episodic and limited to awareness-raising. In contrast, evidence from youth-led AMR programs demonstrates measurable impacts, including improved antimicrobial-use behaviors, strengthened community stewardship, and large multiplier effects through peer-to-peer engagement. Programs that integrate youth as co-designers and implementers show greater relevance, reach, and sustainability. The paper presents ‘The AMR Meaningful Youth Engagement Wheel’ which entails the core principles of equitable and meaningful youth engagement in tackling this global health threat.

CONCLUSIONS:
Institutionalizing meaningful youth engagement is both a moral imperative and a practical necessity for achieving equitable, inclusive, and sustainable AMR responses. Embedding youth within AMR decision-making, funding mechanisms, and accountability frameworks can strengthen health systems and ensure long-term resilience in the fight against AMR. (poster link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vOAnJq15ftC1VmIyJ1QOB5GeuDRn4kLE/view?usp=sharing)