Abuja: Dr Khadijat Adeleye, a public health expert and maternal health advocate, emphasized the importance of sustained support across various sectors in improving breastfeeding rates and maternal health outcomes. She highlighted the need for family, community, workplace, health systems, and policy-level support during an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the discussion was part of activities marking the upcoming 2025 World Breastfeeding Week, observed from August 1st to 7th with the theme ‘Let’s Make Breastfeeding and Work, Work!’. This theme underscores the necessity of creating supportive environments that allow mothers to balance breastfeeding with work commitments effectively. The campaign underscores essential maternity rights and workplace accommodations to ensure mothers can continue breastfeeding as long as they choose.
Dr Adeleye pointed out that exclusive breastfeeding is a highly effective intervention for reducing infant mortality but remains underutilized in Nigeria due to fragmented support systems. She noted that only 29 percent of Nigerian infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, as per the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. This figure falls short of the World Health Organisation’s global target of 50 percent by 2025.
The expert emphasized that mothers are more likely to initiate and sustain breastfeeding when they receive early guidance from health workers, encouragement from family members, and practical support from employers, including flexible work hours and breastfeeding spaces. Dr Adeleye highlighted the success of Mother Support Groups in rural areas of Benue and Kaduna States, where community-driven initiatives have boosted exclusive breastfeeding rates through peer counseling and household visits.
Dr Adeleye urged the government to enforce the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and promote baby-friendly hospital initiatives nationwide. She stressed the need for Nigeria to invest in systems that protect breastfeeding from commercial interests and social pressures.
She also called on policymakers to prioritize paid maternity leave and breastfeeding-friendly workplace policies, warning that the lack of structural support continues to endanger both mothers and babies. Dr Adeleye advocated for workplace-friendly breastfeeding policies in Nigeria, in line with this year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme.
Dr Adeleye asserted that women should not have to choose between breastfeeding their children and maintaining their jobs, as support is feasible regardless of workplace, sector, or contract type. Effective maternity protections improve health outcomes for children and women and increase breastfeeding rates. She noted that over half a billion working women globally lack access to essential maternity provisions, with many more facing limited or no support upon returning to work.
In her recommendations, Dr Adeleye suggested that all women, regardless of their work nature, should have at least 18 weeks, preferably more than six months, of paid maternity leave. She also advocated for paid time off to breastfeed or express milk after returning to work, along with flexible return-to-work options. She called on policymakers to strengthen existing labor laws and health sector policies to ensure adequate breastfeeding support for both formal and informal sector workers.
