From the 5th May 2026, Watipaso Nyirenda (Science Advisor: AMR Mitigation in Africa) and Fabian Maza Arnedo (Science Officer) took part in a five-day visit that included the official launch of the neonatal AMR project in Ghana.
About the project
This project, titled ‘Enhancing infection prevention and rational antibiotic use for neonatal infection in four health facilities the Volta Region, Ghana’ aims to reduce the incidence of neonatal infections, including those caused by drug-resistant pathogens and also improve health outcomes with rational antibiotic use for neonatal infections, in four hospitals in the Volta Region of Ghana. Using an implementation research approach, the project team will employ a before and after study design over a three-year period. Interventions will focus on strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). The team will also implement behavioural change interventions targeting healthcare workers and mothers in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and maternity wards. To ensure long-term sustainability and to inform national scale-up, the project will assess the cost inputs and cost-effectiveness of the interventions. Findings will provide evidence to strengthen policy on neonatal infection prevention and management in the Volta Region, with potential for broader application across Ghana.
The visit in detail
Over the course of the visit, the ICARS and Ghana research teams conducted facility assessments, governance meetings and technical discussions to better understand the implementation context for IPC, AMS, diagnostics, and neonatal care interventions.
The visit began with an assessment visit to Ho Teaching Hospital, where the team toured the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), maternity wards, IPC systems and microbiology laboratory. Discussions with frontline healthcare workers, pharmacists, laboratory personnel and hospital leadership highlighted several operational challenges affecting neonatal infection prevention and antimicrobial use.
On 7 May, the project was officially launched at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS). The event brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, WHO, UNICEF, participating hospitals and research partners. During the visit, the project Steering Committee was formally constituted, marking an important step in establishing the project’s governance structure and long-term oversight mechanisms. Governance discussions included plans for biannual Steering Committee meetings, alongside the development of Terms of Reference, publication policies and data management plans.
Technical discussions throughout the mission emphasised the need to strengthen collaboration between clinicians, laboratories and pharmacy teams to support more effective diagnostic stewardship and antimicrobial use.
The mission concluded with a visit to Keta Municipal Hospital, where the team conducted additional assessments of IPC, AMS, diagnostics and neonatal care systems. Across all participating facilities, there was strong institutional ownership and enthusiasm for the project, with healthcare workers and hospital leadership expressing willingness to engage in co-created interventions and implementation research activities.
Next steps
Following the launch, the project team will continue preparations for baseline IPC and AMS assessments across participating facilities and finalise baseline data collection activities.
Discussions around sustainability and long-term integration of interventions into existing hospital systems will also continue as part of the project’s implementation approach.
Technical follow-up activities will focus on strengthening diagnostic stewardship and improving collaboration between laboratory, pharmacy and clinical teams. Participating facilities will also be supported in strengthening IPC systems, visitor management practices and the use of facility-level data to inform decision-making.
In parallel, ICARS will continue providing technical mentorship and implementation support to the Ghana research team throughout the project period.
