World Breastfeeding Week 2021: Nigerian Government Launches Guidelines on Baby Friendly Initiatives

The Nigerian Government has launched the National Guidelines on Baby Friendly Initiatives in commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week 2021.

Nigeria’s Minister of health Dr. Osagie Ehanire while performing the launch and flag of activities for the week said, “The country’s breastfeeding indices are still below optimal as only forty two percent of babies in Nigeria are put to breast within one year of birth.

“Twenty nine percent of Children zero to six months are exclusively breastfed and 97% of them are only breastfed at one point and the other.”

The minister said that to advance Nigeria’s response to breastfeeding, the Ministry of health in collaboration with other stakeholders, reviewed the baby friendly initiative to include the revised WHO ten steps to successful breastfeeding towards improving the support, promotion and protection of breastfeeding practices and services in communities and workplaces in line with global best practices.

“It will not only help in improving our breastfeeding indices but also contribute significantly to the reduction of malnutrition,” the Minister said.

Dr. Ehanire also announced that, the Ministry of health will collaborate with the National Agency for Food and drugs Administration and control NAFDAC and other stakeholders to enforce the code for marketing of breast milk substitutes to address threats pose by unwholesome marketing of breast milk substitutes in the country.

In a remark, the Minister of Women affairs Mrs Pauline Tallen stressed the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and promised better advocacy to communities for the good of babies and mothers.

She said that her Ministry is concerned with the issues of Women and Children and is a priority.

Also Speaking, the Country Representative World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo said, “WHO is committed to support and actively participate in the global campaign to raise awareness and galvanize action to breastfeeding and wellbeing of Women and Children in the country.”

Meanwhile, UNICEF and other relevant health organizations who made contributions identified the need for greater attention to exclusive breastfeeding for its health benefits and advocated for six months maternity leave for mothers.

The theme for the 2021 World breastfeeding week is “Protect Breastfeeding, A shared responsibility.”