Our Mission
Our mission is to build a resilient continent prepared to tackle emerging health threats with locally grounded, globally aligned solutions.
Our Vision
By 2050, we aim to reach 50 million African youths with transformative AMR education and action
people reached physically through schools and community campaigns
individuals reached through digital platforms and social media campaigns
young health professionals trained as AMR champions
communities directly engaged across Northern Nigeria
participants convened at major public events like symposiums and exhibitions
active executive members contributing to our collective success
The Story Behind UDUYARS
UDUYARS (Usmanu Danfodiyo University Young Antimicrobial Resistance Stewards) is a bold, youth-led force tackling one of the greatest global health threats of our time: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Our story began in September 2022, when our lead founder, Zakariya’u Dauda, brought together a multidisciplinary team of six youths to join the AMR Ambassadors Program for Young People in Africa, organised by Students Against Superbugs Africa. UDUYARS was the only team selected from northwestern Nigeria for the 18-month intensive training. That experience shaped our mission—to mobilise, empower, and amplify youth voices in the fight against AMR.
Our expertise is built on years of front-line engagement with communities deeply affected by AMR. Living alongside families in underserved areas, we witnessed firsthand how self-medication with over-the-counter antibiotics and limited diagnostic resources fuel the spread of resistance. Studies show that 38–56% of Africans self-medicate with antimicrobials, rising to as high as 76% in Northern Nigeria; often for common illnesses like colds, diarrhea, or fevers without medical supervision. These experiences have grounded our approach in lived realities, not abstract theories.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when disease-causing organisms evolve to resist treatment, threatening to undo decades of medical progress. Without urgent action, routine infections could become untreatable, and life-saving procedures like surgeries and chemotherapy may become impossible. A Lancet report by the GRAM Project estimates that drug-resistant infections could claim 39 million lives between 2025 and 2050. Already in 2019, AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths, with a total of 4.95 million associated.
At UDUYARS, we’re not waiting for those projections to unfold; we’re changing the narrative now. We recognised that youth are at the centre of the solution. They account for over 60% of Africa’s population, and this demographic is projected to grow to half a billion by 2080. This generational surge gives young people unprecedented potential to drive awareness, shift behaviours, and influence policy at scale.
That’s why every UDUYARS initiative is youth-designed, youth-led, and community-driven. From school outreaches, multilingual campaigns, and art exhibitions to youth dialogues and grassroots events, we’ve reached over 1,000,000 young people. We’ve taken our message from rural schools and clinics to international platforms like the ReAct-South Centre Conference in Zambia and the AMR Partnership Platform Plenary in Saudi Arabia.
Our work has earned us alliances with key stakeholders including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Quadripartite Multistakeholder Partnership Platform (FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH), and the African Youth AMR Alliance–Taskforce (AYARA-TF), among others.
At UDUYARS, we believe young people are not passive beneficiaries; they are powerful champions of change. And we are here to equip them with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to drive local action and global impact.
Together, we are rewriting the story of AMR; for a healthier, more resilient tomorrow.
Most Prominent Campaigns
UDUYARS AMR ART Exhibition
At UDUYARS, we believe that science should speak the language of the people, and nothing does that better than art. That’s why we held the UDUYARS AMR Art Exhibition and Creative Contest.
This youth-led initiative used the power of painting, poetry, drama, calligraphy, spoken word, and visual storytelling to communicate the urgent threat of antimicrobial…
UDUYARS Symposium
Our symposium titled “Uniting Forces: Bridging Science, Art, and Society in the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance through One Health” brought together over 600 participants, including students, faculty, health professionals, environmental experts, artists, and community leaders, at the University Auditorium of Usmanu Danfodiyo…
Nurses Against Superbugs
At UDUYARS, we believe nurses are more than caregivers; they are frontline defenders in the battle against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Recognising their unique role in both patient care and health education, we launched an engagement session at the College of Nursing Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, to equip tomorrow’s nurses with the knowledge and…
Collaborators, Sponsors, and Partners
