Accra, March 26, – Medical scientists and researchers have called on policymakers to prioritise neonatal infection research as a critical step towards improving newborn care across Africa.
They said stronger investment in evidence-based studies would help reduce the high burden of life-threatening infections among newborns through better prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Professor John Amuasi, Lead of the SNIP-AFRICA Project in Ghana, described neonatal infections as a major public health concern, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of infant deaths on the continent.
“Neonatal infection is a serious issue which must be addressed decisively. It remains a significant burden for our society,” he told the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the Project’s 2026 General Assembly Meeting in Accra.
The meeting brought together researchers, clinicians and health partners from 12 institutions across Africa and Europe.
The SNIP-AFRICA (Severe Neonatal Infection Adaptive Platform Trials in Africa) initiative is a multi-country research project aimed at improving the management of severe infections in newborns. It is funded by the European Union under the Global Health EDCTP3 programme and coordinated by Fondazione Penta ETS in Italy.
The project applies adaptive clinical trial approaches to generate evidence for more effective antibiotic treatments for neonatal infections, particularly sepsis, which remains a leading cause of newborn mortality.
As part of its implementation, about 1,200 neonates are expected to be enrolled across six neonatal intensive care units in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
Professor Amuasi noted that Ghana played a key leadership role in the consortium through the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
He said the Assembly focused on reviewing progress, sharing findings and identifying sustainable approaches to strengthen neonatal infection research on the continent.
Key areas discussed included clinical and microbiological surveillance systems, adaptive trial platforms, and pharmacokinetics research to optimise drug dosing in newborns.
The project also emphasises capacity building, training for healthcare professionals, stakeholder engagement and long-term sustainability planning.
Professor Julia Bielicki, Scientific Coordinator of SNIP-AFRICA, said the outcomes of the Assembly were expected to improve the management of severe infections in newborns, particularly in resource-limited settings.
She noted that where advanced neonatal care systems were limited, effective antibiotic treatment remained central to saving lives.
The Assembly therefore examined strategies to improve antibiotic use, including selecting appropriate treatments and determining correct dosages for newborns.
Professor Bielicki expressed confidence that the initiative would contribute significantly to reducing newborn deaths caused by sepsis across Africa.
GHBUSS
26 March 2026
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