The STAIRS Consortium convened its 3rd Annual Meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, from 17–21 November 2025, bringing together representatives from all participating countries alongside invited experts and stakeholders committed to strengthening sepsis research and implementation.

The meeting attracted over 100 participants on the opening day alone, underscoring the strong engagement and shared commitment across the consortium. It provided a key opportunity to review progress on STAIRS implementation, exchange country experiences, and reflect on emerging lessons from ongoing activities across diverse health systems.

The official opening ceremony was led by Dr. Eduardo Samo Gudo, Director General of the National Institute of Health (NHI) Mozambique. In his address, he underscored the importance of collaboration and coordinated action in advancing efforts to combat sepsis, emphasizing that sustained teamwork remains central to achieving meaningful public health impact.

Beyond the formal proceedings, the meeting also showcased elements of Mozambican culture during the opening ceremony, adding a rich and unifying dimension to the event and reinforcing the spirit of regional solidarity.

A key feature of the program was the first expert roundtable discussion, which brought together leading specialists, including Dr. Shaving, to deliberate on implementation progress, scientific evidence, and strategic priorities for strengthening sepsis interventions within participating countries.

As host Principal Investigator for Mozambique, Dr. Ivalda Macicame provided an overview of the country’s implementation journey during her remarks. She highlighted progress made to date, shared practical field experiences, and reaffirmed Mozambique’s commitment to advancing the STAIRS agenda in close collaboration with consortium partners.

The meeting reaffirmed STAIRS as a critical platform for fostering cross-country learning, strengthening research-to-practice translation, and accelerating collective action against sepsis across the region.

We keep climbing! The second annual consortium meeting of the STAIRS consortium in Kumasi, Ghana, was graciously hosted from January 13-17, 2025, by STAIRS PI in Ghana Dr. Johna Adabie Appiah, together with his amazing team from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. We were especially grateful to welcome the president of the Global Sepsis Alliance, Prof. Niranjan Tex Kissoon, and Dr. Janet Diaz from WHO in Geneva!

Completing the tour of the network, AFIDEP visited our DRC country team for Evidence-informed decision training in July.

The Ghana STAIRS team was also visited by our partners from AFIDEP in July. Evidence-informed decision training!

Upwards and onwards! The STAIRS team in Ethiopia invited our partners from AFIDEP to the beautiful Rift Valley to conduct the evidence-informed decision training in July. The team brought together a group of 19 stakeholders to strengthen capacity for translating sepsis research findings into policy in Ethiopia.