Written by: Sophie Bochaberi
Across Africa and beyond, newborn care is being reimagined. At the Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN) and the African Neonatal Association (ANA) conferences in August, healthcare professionals, researchers, academicians, global experts, advocates, and some parents came together with a common goal: to accelerate progress for Newborns in Africa. From showcasing innovative solutions to sharing evidence and building partnerships, the two gatherings created a vibrant platform for learning, unlearning, and relearning best practices on family-centered care for small and sick newborns. Ultimately, together for the collective vision to save the 1.1 million African newborns who die every year in sub-Saharan Africa.
COINN – Lusaka, Zambia | August 14 – 15, 2025
In the warm heart of Lusaka, Zambia, the Council of International Neonatal Nurses held its third International Conference in Africa. Welcomed by the presence of zebras at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, over 180 neonatal nurses, physicians, researchers, policymakers, and Zambian government officials gathered for a two-day conference. The goal of the event was to share the latest research, evidence, and initiatives in neonatal nursing and healthcare, both across Africa and worldwide.
Key conference highlights included the launch of the Association of African Neonatal Nurses (AANeoN), which has already attracted over 149 members from over 14 countries and continues to grow. This is the first Pan-African Neonatal Nursing Association that aims to unite nurses and partner with allied healthcare workers across the continent to improve newborn care.
Attendees at the Council of International Neonatal Nurses Conference in Lusaka, Zambia
Dr. Nejmudin Bilal, Country Representative for UNICEF Zambia, and Dr. Queen Dube, Senior Newborn Health Officer for WHO, emphasized the urgent need for investment in neonatal nurses in Africa. Dr. Dube underscored that we need to accelerate progress seven times faster to reach the neonatal mortality and stillbirth national targets across Africa. Scaling up neonatal nursing education and training is a key enabler to achieving these targets.
Lauren Allison, co-lead of the Newborn Toolkit, presented the Newborn Research Funding Map, which identifies gaps in funding for implementation research related to newborn care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This map, available on the Newborn Toolkit platform, highlights existing research grants, facilitates research collaboration opportunities, and enhances transparency regarding current global funding trends for newborn and stillbirth research.
Mbozu Sipalo, co-lead of the Newborn Toolkit, presented on the Kangaroo Mother Care Implementation Action Pathway. These Implementation Action Pathways are designed to simplify the complexities of system changes by offering a step-by-step approach for implementers of care for small and sick newborns. They provide a structured way to translate evidence into practice and include essential evidence and tools to support implementation.
Dr Kylie Dougherty, an implementation scientist from NEST360, presented on the quality improvement Change Package, which aims to give health workers a supermarket of ideas to implement to cover key intervention gaps. Numerous presentations on learnings relating to improving coverage and quality of newborn care were presented by Dr Afeez Idowu and Dr Salome Okunade of NEST360 Nigeria, and Sammy Ngwala, who headed a huge delegation of program, facility, and MoH representatives from NEST360 Malawi.
ANA – Kigali, Rwanda | August 20-22, 2025
From Kigali’s rolling hills to the warmth of the Rwandan hospitality, there was the setting for the African Neonatal Association‘s maiden conference. The theme “Leading the Acceleration of Neonatal Care Improvement in Africa: Innovations, Opportunities, and Challenges.” Here, close to 200 attendees, including neonatologists, government representatives, researchers, pediatricians, nurses, and caregivers across Africa, were present. Founded in 2021, the ANA comprises more than 250 neonatologists and pediatricians from 37 countries.
Dr. Athanase Rukondo, Head of Clinical and Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Rwanda, spoke to the progress made in Rwanda for newborn health, including key government investment in the healthcare workforce, increasing the number of healthcare providers, leading to increased efficiency for patients.
Dr. Franck Houndjahoue, lead of the ANA Scientific Committee, presented on the Journal of African Neonatology (JAN), a bilingual journal hosted by the ANA. JAN publishes local learning across Africa for small and sick newborn care. To bridge equity gaps in access and availability of evidence, the JAN highly encourages submissions in French.
(Left to Right) Msandeni Chiume, Joy Lawn, Chinyere Ezeaka, Alex Stevenson, Athanase Rukondo, Natasha Rhoda, and Jean Baptist Nkuranga
A key highlight includes the launch of the Partnership for Accelerating Neonatal Survival Across Africa (PANSAA), a new collaboration between the African Neonatal Association (ANA), the African Neonatal Network (ANN), and Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360). Dr. Olufunke Bolaji and Professor Joy Lawn, grant co-leads, spoke to the aims of this new collaboration funded by a Medical Research Council UK – Global Partnership Grant.
PANSAA will align datasets for newborn care in over 160 healthcare facilities across 8 countries in Africa. This aligned data will help to answer implementation research questions linking to high-impact interventions, including Infection Prevention and Control and Kangaroo Mother Care.
Prof. Joy Lawn shared how Africa is 16% of the world’s population, accounts for one-third of the world’s births, and yet almost half of the world’s neonatal deaths. For us to close the survival gap, we need more African-led research. At NEST360, we are supporting implementation research by partnering with African researchers, publishing open-access tools, and using the Newborn Toolkit to ensure innovations are adaptable. PANSAA aims to enable next-generation researchers in implementation research in ANA and NEST360.
Professor Chinyere Ezeaka, Nigeria Country Lead, NEST360, emphasized that scaling solutions for newborn care, including low-cost technologies, must be informed by evidence and supported by local government investments. With only 4 years remaining until the SDG 3.2 deadline of less than 12 deaths per 1000 live births, progress needs to be accelerated, and collaboration among doctors, nurses, and biomedical engineers is essential to achieving this.
Kangaroo Mother Care was also at the forefront of the Conference with a panel featuring representatives from the Gates Foundation, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The panel speakers underscored that while KMC can be challenging to achieve extensive duration and coverage, it has potential for major impact. Appropriate infrastructure coupled with a collaborative approach among parents, including fathers, nurses, doctors, and facility staff, is critical to achieve greater uptake.
Accelerating Progress
For the Newborn Toolkit and NEST360, it was a reunion with the broader newborn community. After many months of collaborating across borders and screens, it was joyful to meet again in person. A reminder that behind every innovation and data are people who care deeply about driving real change, giving newborns a strong start at life.
These conferences have brought together neonatologists, pediatricians, neonatal nurses, and midwives under one roof to learn, share, and innovate side by side, and show that with the power of collaboration, improved care for the African newborn is possible.
As we approach the 2030 deadline for SDG 3.2, progress needs to be accelerated to achieve national targets. Applying lessons learned locally, partnering across disciplines, and continued investment in research and data-driven solutions are required. Together, we can reach every newborn everywhere!
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