NAFDAC: Only 34% of Babies Born in Nigeria Enjoy Exclusive Breast Feeding

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has said that approximately 34 percent of 0-6 months babies in Nigeria are exclusively breastfed.

It said that the figure shows an improvement in national exclusive breastfeeding figures from the previous 17 per cent but noted that it still falls far short of the WHO target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding rate to at least 50 per cent by the year 2025.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of a baby’s birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by introduction of safe, appropriate, adequate, complementary foods as from six months while breastfeeding continues up to two years of age or beyond.

A statement signed by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant Sayo Akintola, said the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, told mothers that practicing exclusive breast feeding will enhance the intelligence quotient of their babies.

Speaking during the 2024 World Breastfeeding celebration themed ‘Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All’’, Adeyeye said that breastfed babies have stronger immunity, and a reduced risk of suffering many childhood illnesses and infections.

Adeyeye who was represented by the Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN), Mrs. Eva Edwards, added that it is also associated with longer-term health benefits including higher Intelligence Quotient (IQ) for infants that were exclusively breastfed by their mothers.

Quoting data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey of 2018, Adeyeye said that 97 per cent of children are breastfed in Nigeria at one point or the other, stressing that only 42 per cent of them are breastfed within one hour of birth.

She further disclosed that the proportion of children 0-6 months who are exclusively breastfed is 29 per cent, adding that the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey put this figure for exclusive breastfeeding at approximately 34 per cent.

She expressed delight that both figures show an improvement in national exclusive breastfeeding figures from the previous 17 per cent but noted that it still falls far short of the WHO target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding rate to at least 50 per cent by the year 2025.

According to her, “This therefore calls for action from all of us in our respective capacities as breastfeeding actors to accelerate progress and scale optimal breastfeeding practices in order to achieve the global target to save the lives of our children and mothers.’’

She added that in order to successfully breastfeed babies, mothers need support such as food supplementation, from the health system, family members, community members, and from the work place.

Adeyeye pointed out that the support is critical to the success of breastfeeding because knowledge-sharing, encouragement, support with household chores and creating an enabling environment make the act of breastfeeding easier for our mothers.

“It’s essential that no one is left behind especially vulnerable mothers who may need additional assistance to reduce breastfeeding inequities,” she said.
She urged nursing mothers to champion optimal breastfeeding of their children with a view to improving the health status of their newborns and lowering their risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

The DG noted that it is the collective responsibility of all to ensure that every mother receives the support she needs to make breastfeeding a successful and fulfilling experience.

She lamented that many women do not receive the support they need to optimally breastfeed their babies, including access to trained personnel, providing empathetic and respectful health advice, and counseling throughout the woman’s breastfeeding journey.
The NAFDAC boss stated that women in all settings need and deserve support to optimally breastfeed their babies.
She said when mothers receive the support they need to breastfeed their babies, everyone benefits, everyone wins.

Adeyeye used the platform of the commemoration of the World Breastfeeding Week to also inaugurate the Lagos State Breast Milk Substitute (BMS) Multisectoral Technical Committee and Advocacy Team as a collaborative strategy for the breast milk substitutes Code compliance and monitoring.