WELCOME REMARKS AND OPENING ADDRESS OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL NAFDAC AT THE 2026 WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK CAPACITY BUILDING EVENT FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS HELD ON 11TH AUGUST 2026 AT NAFDAC AUDITORIUM, ISOLO, LAGOS, DELIVERED BY DIRECTOR, FOOD SAFETY AND APPLIED NUTRITION (FSAN) DIRECTORATE, MRS. EVA EDWARDS
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It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you all to this capacity building event in commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week observed globally from 1st to 7th August every year. World Breastfeeding Week is a time to intensify our focus on breastfeeding in recognition of its place as a solid foundation for optimal development, growth, and health across the lifespan.
The theme for this year’s celebration, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” beams the spotlight on tracking progress, evaluating impact, and scaling proven approaches that improve breastfeeding outcomes. It is a call for all stakeholders across governments, health systems, workplaces, communities, families, civil society organizations, donors, and advocates to build on successful experiences and strengthen the “Warm Chain of Support” for breastfeeding. The theme also recognizes breastfeeding as a sustainable first-food system that improves nutrition, enhances food security, reduces household costs, contributes to poverty reduction, and advances sustainable development. It reminds us that lasting progress depends on continuous evaluation, sustained investment, strong partnerships, and accountability to ensure that our collective efforts translate into improved maternal and child health outcomes across Nigeria.
As part of this year’s commemoration, NAFDAC is pleased to bring together healthcare professionals to share knowledge on the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and highlight the important role of healthcare professionals in protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding through strengthening what works. Simply put, strengthening what works means investing in those systems that make breastfeeding possible.
Every child has a right to, and deserves, the best possible start in life. Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants, providing all the energy and nutrients the infant needs for the first months of life and it remains one of the most effective interventions for improving child survival, nutrition, growth, health, and development. Breastmilk is safe, clean and contains antibodies which provide protection against many common childhood illnesses. It promotes optimal brain development, and reduces the risk of overweight, obesity, and other non-communicable diseases later in life.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommend early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by the introduction of safe, nutritionally adequate, complementary foods at six months while breastfeeding continues up to two years of age and beyond. Breastfeeding also offers significant health benefits for mothers by reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, and supporting healthy birth spacing.
To achieve these benefits, the WHO and UNICEF, under the theme of the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week are calling on countries to:
- Strengthen health systems to provide quality breastfeeding support for mothers and newborns.
- Expand community-based counselling and peer programmes.
- Fully implement and enforce the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.
- Invest in paid maternity leave and supportive workplace policies.
- Integrate breastfeeding interventions into antenatal, perinatal, and postnatal healthcare services.
- Sustain breastfeeding support in humanitarian and fragile contexts.
Despite the overwhelming evidence supporting breastfeeding, Nigeria continues to face significant challenges. Data from the 2023/2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey reveal concerning negative trends in optimal breastfeeding practices. Although nearly 95% of Nigerian women breastfeed, optimal breastfeeding practices are below par with early initiation of breastfeeding declining from 42% in 2018 to 36% in 2023, and exclusive breastfeeding remaining the same at 29%. In addition, only 23% of children continue breastfeeding up to the recommended age of two years. These grim statistics clearly demonstrate that there is more work to be done and call for a renewed commitment to close existing gaps, strengthen successful interventions, and ensure that every mother receives the support she needs to have a successful breastfeeding journey.
Major identified barriers to optimal breastfeeding include delayed initiation of breastfeeding, harmful cultural beliefs and practices, inadequate skilled counselling services, inadequate workplace support, weak community engagement, and aggressive, inappropriate marketing of breastmilk substitutes which undermines breastfeeding. A sustained, collective, whole-of-society approach including governments, healthcare professionals, employers, development partners, civil society organizations, donors, communities, advocates and families, is needed to mitigate these challenges. Creating the enabling environment required for mothers to optimally breastfeed can make a significant difference in child nutrition and lifelong health outcomes.
Breastfeeding is a public health priority and is one of the most cost-effective investments a country can make in its people. As part of the activities to commemorate the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, the Federal Government launched the 1,000 Days of Life Social and Behaviour Change Campaign to promote improved maternal nutrition, early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, appropriate and timely complementary feeding, continued breastfeeding and enhanced community buy-in and ownership of healthy feeding practices.
This year’s theme for the World Breastfeeding Week strongly aligns with the role of NAFDAC to protect and promote breastfeeding as the authority designated by law to implement and enforce the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in Nigeria. Adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981, the International Code was developed to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by the protection and promotion breastfeeding, and to ensure that infant feeding decisions are made on the basis of adequate information and are not influenced by aggressive, inappropriate marketing practices.
Subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions have further strengthened the Code, including extending its application to digital marketing through social media, online influencers, content creators, and other digital promotional platforms. NAFDAC continues to strengthen monitoring and enforcement mechanisms while collaborating closely with State Governments through the State Multi-sectoral Breast-milk Substitutes (BMS) Technical Committees to improve advocacy and compliance with the International Code and the National Regulations.
Healthcare professionals hold a unique and trusted position in influencing infant and young child feeding practices. The guidance and counselling they provide during pregnancy, birth and postpartum definitively shape the decisions of mothers and families and have a direct impact on breastfeeding outcomes. Behind every successful breastfeeding journey is a network of support, a warm chain of support across health systems and health workers, families and caregivers, workplaces and employers, communities, civil society and government; each playing important roles. Health professionals are to ensure that mothers and families receive adequate information and skilled counselling support for successful breastfeeding. Health professionals should also ensure they implement and sustain Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiatives (BFHI)-aligned practices and continuity of care after discharge in line with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
As we commemorate this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, let us build on what works, strengthen our partnerships, and renew our collective commitment to protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding. Together, we can contribute to ensuring that every child in Nigeria starts strong, receiving the healthiest, safest, and most sustainable start in life.
I urge you to take this message to your respective places of healthcare practice and your communities, propagating the warm chain of support for breastfeeding beyond World Breastfeeding Week celebrations, to mitigate the cost of not breastfeeding. I wish everyone a productive and successful capacity-building programme.
Thank you.
Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, FAS
Director General-NAFDAC
