The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has issued a fresh directive mandating stakeholders to enforce the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, as part of renewed efforts to boost breastfeeding rates and combat child malnutrition across Nigeria.
Speaking at the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week commemoration in Abuja, Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, described the enforcement as critical to improving child survival and long-term development outcomes.
Represented by Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom, Mr Pate said the campaign, launched alongside the First 1,000 Days of Life Nutrition Social and Behaviour Change Initiative, seeks to drive exclusive breastfeeding and better nutrition during what experts term a “critical window” for growth, brain development and lifelong health.
“Poor nutrition during this period results in irreversible consequences, including stunting, impaired cognitive development, weakened immunity and reduced economic potential,” he warned.
‘Breastfeeding Is a Life-Saving Intervention’
This year’s World Breastfeeding Week, themed “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” underscores the need to reinforce policies, quality health services, baby-friendly workplaces and community support systems.
Despite 95 per cent of Nigerian mothers breastfeeding, only 36 per cent initiate within the first hour of birth, and just 29 per cent practise exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended six months—figures Mr Pate described as “unacceptably low” given the nation’s triple burden of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and rising obesity.
Presidential Directive: Breastfeeding as National Investment
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwukah, echoed the urgency, revealing that Vice-President Kashim Shettima has directed that breastfeeding be treated “not merely as a maternal choice but as a national investment.”
“A breastfed child is a healthier child, a smarter child and a more productive citizen in waiting,” she said, adding that the campaign must extend beyond Abuja to all 774 local government areas through the Nutrition 774 framework.
UNICEF: Scaling Up Breastfeeding Saves Lives
UNICEF Nigeria Deputy Representative Rownak Khan described exclusive breastfeeding as a child’s “first protection against illness, malnutrition and preventable deaths,” citing evidence that scaling up the practice could prevent hundreds of thousands of maternal and child deaths while boosting cognitive development.
The event also featured contributions from the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), both of which called for coordinated action across government, employers, communities and development partners.
An interactive session with breastfeeding mothers from the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory rounded off the commemoration.