Antibiotic Residues in Chicken Products in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2000-2025)

Antibiotic residues in poultry products pose a significant global public health concern due to antimicrobial overuse, with Africa facing particularly pressing issues from inadequate surveillance and high exceedance rates. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence of and concentration of antibiotic residues in chicken products across Africa. Following PRISMA guidelines and a registered PROSPERO protocol (CRD420261290284), a systematic search was conducted of PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and AJOL from January 20-28, 2026, for studies from African countries published between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2025. This systematic review and meta-analysis identified 39 articles that reported antibiotic residue prevalences in chicken meat, eggs, liver, kidneys, and gizzards, providing 52 sample-specific datasets for pooled prevalence analysis. Following heterogeneity evaluation, a random-effects model was applied to estimate the overall prevalence. The estimated pooled antibiotic residue prevalence was 42.60% (95% CI: [34.11; 51.08]). The prevalence was 48.49% in meat, 44.36% in liver, 39.91% in eggs, 33.56% in kidneys, and 19.28% in gizzard. The proportion of detected antibiotics exceeding the MRLs was 37.79%. Of the 18 antibiotics detected, only ofloxacin and salfamethazine complied with the international or national standards. The pooled mean antibiotic residue concentration was 145.794 µg/kg (95% CI: 103.189-188.4). The highest concentrations were observed for doxycycline (530.24 µg/kg) and oxytetracycline (250.255 µg/kg), while the lowest were for ampicillin (4.21 µg/kg) and penicillin G (5.4 µg/kg). By sample type, the pooled mean concentrations were 290.71 µg/kg in chicken gizzard, 275.26 µg/kg in liver, 141.30 µg/kg in eggs, and 87.94 µg/kg in meat. This meta-analysis revealed high levels of antibiotic residues in chicken products, which remain neglected in many African countries and pose a significant threat to human health. Stringent monitoring and enforcement of maximum residue limits, integrated antibiotic surveillance, and preventive measures such as improved biosecurity, vaccination programs, and prudent antibiotic stewardship are urgently needed.