SayAMR: When Science Speaks the Language of the People

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health challenge, but understanding it should not depend on the language you speak. SayAMR brings together young Nigerians, public health professionals, academic institutions, language experts and communities to develop culturally relevant ways of communicating antimicrobial resistance in Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin English and Yoruba.

Through collaboration, research and community engagement, SayAMR seeks to make AMR easier to understand and discuss, bringing the conversation closer to the people it affects.

Discover the SayAMR Journey About the Unveiling Discover the SayAMR Terminologies

When Science Doesn't Speak Our Language

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines that were previously effective against them.

Although AMR is a major public health concern, communicating what it means and why it matters can be challenging, particularly when technical language creates barriers to public understanding.

For many people, understanding a health issue begins with being able to explain it in familiar terms. When scientific concepts are difficult to communicate in everyday language, important public health messages may not reach or resonate with everyone.

SayAMR seeks to bridge this communication gap by exploring how antimicrobial resistance can be expressed in locally relevant languages, making the science easier to understand and discuss across different communities.

"Understanding is an important first step towards action."

Healthcare professional engaging with community members — Making public health information accessible starts with communicating in ways that people understand and relate to.

Introducing the SayAMR Language Hackathon

SayAMR is a collaborative initiative designed to make antimicrobial resistance easier to communicate and understand across Nigeria's diverse linguistic and cultural contexts.

At the heart of the initiative is the SayAMR Language Hackathon, a youth-led university challenge that invited students to develop locally relevant terminology for antimicrobial resistance in four languages: Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin English and Yoruba.

The initiative recognises that developing meaningful public health terminology requires more than translating scientific expressions. It requires bringing together scientific knowledge, linguistic expertise, cultural understanding and community perspectives.

Through this process, university students, public health professionals, language experts and communities have contributed to exploring how a complex scientific concept can be communicated in ways that resonate with everyday experiences.

Hausa

Zaria, Kaduna State

Igbo

Nsukka, Enugu State

Pidgin English

Ilorin, Kwara State

Yoruba

Odeda and Abeokuta South, Ogun State

Our vision

A Nigeria where people can understand antimicrobial resistance and participate in addressing it, regardless of the language they speak. Four languages, one shared purpose.

An Idea That Became a Collective Effort

SayAMR was conceived through conversations among three women who recognised the need to make antimicrobial resistance more accessible through language.

Mrs Niniola Williams Managing Director, DRASA Health Trust

Dr Tochi Okwor Head of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC)

Prof Folasade Ogunsola Director, Centre for Infection Control and Patient Safety (CiCaPS)

Their shared vision laid the foundation for a collaborative process that brought together universities, young people, public health experts, language specialists and communities. What began as an idea grew into a collective effort to explore how a complex public health concept could be communicated in ways that resonate with people across Nigeria.

The three concept developers of SayAMR — The idea behind SayAMR was driven by a shared commitment to making antimicrobial resistance more accessible through language.

From an Idea to Community Validation

Developing terminology that accurately communicates antimicrobial resistance while reflecting local languages and cultural contexts required a structured and collaborative process. From the initial call for submissions to expert deliberations and community engagement, each stage provided an opportunity to examine, assess and strengthen the proposed expressions.

The journey brought together university students, public health experts, language specialists, academic institutions and communities to ensure that the process considered both scientific accuracy and everyday understanding.

Swipe or scroll sideways to follow the stages →

1

National Call for Applications

The SayAMR Language Hackathon invited university students and young people to contribute ideas for expressing antimicrobial resistance in Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin English and Yoruba.

Participants drew on their understanding of language, culture and public health to develop expressions that communicate the concept in familiar and meaningful ways.

2

Submission and Eligibility Review

The initiative received 35 submissions across the four target languages.

Each went through an initial eligibility review against the requirements of the challenge before progressing to technical review.

3

Expert Review and Consensus Building

A structured Delphi review involving experts assessed submissions against four criteria:

Scientific accuracy - 20 points
Cultural relevance - 20 points
Clarity - 15 points
Creativity - 15 points

4

Debate and Selection

Structured debates and deliberations examined competing proposals, discussed their strengths and limitations, and built consensus around the preferred expressions.

5

Community Validation

The proposed expressions were taken beyond academic and technical review to community members across the four language groups.

Activities explored how people interpreted the expressions, whether they found them understandable and acceptable, and how well they could be used in everyday conversations.

6

Final Refinement

Feedback from community validation provided insights into how the expressions were understood.

Where necessary, it informed further refinement to strengthen clarity, acceptability and relevance.

7

Official Unveiling

The culmination of the process is the official unveiling of the four expressions ahead of the 5th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR.

It presents the outcomes of the collaborative process and encourages wider engagement with the terminology.

SayAMR Language Hackathon launch — Hackathon launch

Delphi expert review meeting — Expert review

Debate and selection session — Debate and selection

Taking SayAMR Beyond the Classroom and Into Communities

A key part of the SayAMR process was ensuring that the proposed terminology could be understood and meaningfully used beyond academic and technical settings.

Community validation activities brought the proposed expressions directly to people in different locations, creating opportunities to assess their understanding, acceptability, memorability and relevance. Participants of different age groups and backgrounds shared how they interpreted the expressions and whether they could use them in everyday conversations. These interactions reinforced the importance of community participation in developing public health communication that is accessible, meaningful and culturally relevant.

Four languages. Multiple communities. One shared objective: making AMR understandable.

Swipe or scroll sideways to view all communities →

Hausa terminology validation exercise in Zaria

Hausa Zaria, Kaduna State

Community validation activities in Zaria engaged participants across different communities to assess the understanding, acceptability and memorability of the proposed Hausa expression.

Community engagement during the Hausa terminology validation exercise in Zaria, Kaduna State.

Igbo terminology validation exercise in Nsukka

Igbo Nsukka, Enugu State

Direct engagement with participants and group discussions in Nsukka explored how the proposed Igbo expression was understood and interpreted.

Community participants during the Igbo terminology validation exercise in Nsukka, Enugu State.

Yoruba terminology validation exercise in Ogun State

Yoruba Odeda and Abeokuta South, Ogun State

Engagements in Odeda and Abeokuta South gathered feedback on the clarity, acceptability and cultural relevance of the proposed Yoruba expression.

Community engagement during the Yoruba terminology validation exercise in Ogun State.

Pidgin English terminology validation exercise in Ilorin

Pidgin English Ilorin, Kwara State

Participants across different settings in Ilorin helped assess the clarity, acceptability and contextual relevance of the proposed expression, and identified where additional explanation might help.

Participants during the Pidgin English terminology validation exercise in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Four Languages. Four Expressions. One Shared Responsibility.

After months of collaboration, technical review, deliberation and community engagement, SayAMR will officially unveil the expressions developed through the initiative.

The unveiling marks an important milestone in the effort to make antimicrobial resistance more accessible through language. It represents the culmination of contributions from young people, academic institutions, public health professionals, language experts and communities.

Event: SayAMR Terminology Unveiling
Theme: When Science Speaks the Language of the People
Date: [Insert confirmed date]
Venue: [Insert venue]
Details: [Insert participation information, if applicable]