Lagos surpasses global breastfeeding benchmark, targets early initiation improvement
The Lagos State Government has announced a significant achievement in child nutrition, revealing that its exclusive breastfeeding rate has risen to 57.4 percent, surpassing the global benchmark of 50 percent.
Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, made this known during a press briefing on Tuesday to mark the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week. She, however, expressed concern over the 14 percent rate of early initiation of breastfeeding—the proportion of babies breastfed within the first hour of birth—which she said poses serious risks to neonatal health.
“When babies miss out on colostrum, which is rich in antibodies, their immunity is compromised from the start,” Ogunyemi stated, attributing the low initiation rate to gaps in service delivery, misinformation, and the use of pre-lacteal feeds such as glucose water and infant formula.
To address this, the state is training midwives and birth attendants to ensure proper early breastfeeding practices.
Speaking on the theme for this year’s celebration—”Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems”—Ogunyemi highlighted the need for long-term support structures for nursing mothers, especially those in the workforce.
“We are focused not just on promoting breastfeeding but ensuring that mothers have the social, institutional, and workplace support they need,” she said, describing breastfeeding as a critical child survival strategy that supports cognitive, emotional, and physical development up to age two.
She also noted the state’s progressive maternity policy, which includes six months of paid maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave for the first two births in all public institutions. She called on private employers to adopt similar standards.
Health education and antenatal counselling have been intensified in public facilities, she added, to better prepare mothers for optimal breastfeeding practices.
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Folashade Oludara, Director of Family Health and Nutrition at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, underscored the economic benefits of breastfeeding.
“Now more than ever, mothers should embrace exclusive breastfeeding. It is free, readily available, and has no adverse side effects,” she said, debunking common myths, including that breastfeeding causes saggy breasts. She also noted its protective effects against breast cancer.
Dr. Lola Alonge, founder of the Child Health Advocacy Initiative, applauded Lagos for leading the way in paid maternity and paternity leave, a policy adopted over a decade ago and replicated by only about nine other states.
“Private organisations employ more women than the government. Until they offer six-month paid maternity leave, our breastfeeding targets will remain unmet,” Alonge warned.
The World Breastfeeding Week, observed annually from August 1 to 7 in over 120 countries, aims to raise awareness and strengthen support for breastfeeding globally.
