SNIP-AFRICA has launched its flagship Neonatal Sepsis Course, an important step forward in strengthening clinical care and research capacity for newborn health in sub-Saharan Africa. The first cohort of delegates consists of 16 healthcare professionals and researchers from SNIP-AFRICA’s sites in Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
Neonatal sepsis remains one of the leading causes of newborn illness and death in the region. The course aims to address this challenge by equipping participants with up-to-date knowledge and practical skills in the identification, diagnosis and antibiotic management of neonatal sepsis. Through a flexible online format, the course allows learners to progress at their own pace using video lectures, slide presentations, assessments, and curated reading lists, making it possible to balance learning with clinical and research commitments.
Beyond clinical training, the programme places a strong emphasis on research capacity building. An accompanying online workshop series on literature review supports participants in developing essential research skills, including how to critically appraise scientific papers and apply evidence-based findings to their own work.
The course was developed by Penta – Child Health Research (Italy), drawing on its longstanding international network and close collaborations with paediatricians, neonatologists and researchers worldwide, and counting on expert contributions from within and beyond the SNIP-AFRICA Consortium.
Overall training and capacity building activities are led by the Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research Group based at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, which hosts the course on the SNIP-AFRICA training platform.
“Our experience in delivering research capacity building programmes has shown us that combining clinical training with research skills development creates the most impact“, noted the SNIP-AFRICA training team.
“For this course, we’ve brought together a diverse faculty of experts and designed an interactive learning experience that ensures participants gain knowledge and developing competencies they can immediately apply. This approach equips them to treat neonatal sepsis more effectively while contributing to the evidence base that will shape future practice across Africa. The benefits extend beyond individual participants to strengthen the institutional capacity of their home facilities, creating sustainable impact across the SNIP-AFRICA consortium.“
The next cohort of the Neonatal Sepsis Course is expected to launch later in 2026, opening the door for more professionals across the continent to benefit from this targeted, high-impact training.
