At an Abuja event to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week, Mabel Ade, the executive director of the Adinya Arise Foundation, painted a sobering picture of child malnutrition and poor exclusive breastfeeding rates.
With only 29% of infants being exclusively breastfed, Nigeria confronts a significant public-health challenge visibly manifested among the thousands of displaced mothers camped in internally displaced persons (IDP) shelters.
These women, most of whom fled violent conflicts in states like Borno and Benue, are often left to navigate motherhood in less ideal conditions—cramped tents without clean water and nutritious diets that support breastfeeding.
The government’s continuing neglect of IDP populations, coupled with targeted interventions for nursing mothers, leaves a trail of trauma, malnutrition and infant mortality. The result is a vicious cycle of malnutrition, vulnerability and lost potential for both mothers and their children.
However, amidst these challenges, solutions are beginning to take root. A notable initiative is the Baby-friendly hospital initiative(BFHI), launched by the WHO and UNICEF across the world and now gaining ground in parts of Nigeria.
Through this programme, hospitals are encouraged to support early initiation of breastfeeding, provide orientation, discourage arbitrary use of infant formula and enlighten new mothers. Though still limited in or largely out of reach, BFHI offers a model that, if expanded, could transform maternal and child health across the country.
Beyond the hospital walls, communities are stepping up too. In several IDP camps and rural villages, humanitarian groups are implementing infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E) strategies, designed specifically for crises. These life-saving programmes literally offer nutritional guidance, counselling and even food supplements to vulnerable mothers and children.
Breastfeeding isn’t just a crisis-time solution—it’s a long-term investment. Experts advocate for national policy changes that make breastfeeding easier for working mothers.
Mabel Ade of the Adinya Arise Foundation recommends paid maternity leave spanning up to six months. A few offices and state institutions have already started offering flexible hours, also providing breastfeeding spaces for nursing mothers.
While progress is slow, these changes offer new mothers a chance to care for their children without sacrificing their livelihoods. When women don’t have to choose between work and motherhood, society wins too by getting healthier children, stronger families and reduced healthcare costs.
Although the challenges may be daunting, Ade remains optimistic. She calls for tailored outreach to groups often left out of public health plans, which are adolescent mothers, women living with HIV and those with disabilities.
She envisions a Nigeria where no child is too poor to be breastfed, and no mother is too unsupported to try. As campaigns for the World Breastfeeding Week indicate, breastfeeding is an urgent crisis demanding sustainable solutions.
With a right mix of policy, compassion and community effort, Nigeria can protect mothers and, in doing so, safeguard the future.
Mabel Ade, executive director of the Adinya Arise Foundation, highlighted the issue of child malnutrition and low exclusive breastfeeding rates at a World Breastfeeding Week event in Abuja, Nigeria. Only 29% of infants are exclusively breastfed, posing a significant public health challenge, especially among mothers in interned displaced persons (IDP) shelters. These shelters, lacking in clean water and nutritious diets, exacerbate the problem, perpetuating a cycle of malnutrition, trauma, and infant mortality. Despite governmental neglect, initiatives like the Baby-friendly hospital initiative (BFHI), encouraged by WHO and UNICEF, and community efforts through infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E) strategies, are beginning to offer solutions by promoting breastfeeding practices, providing nutritional guidance, and supporting nursing mothers.
Mabel Ade suggests broader policy reforms, including six months of paid maternity leave and flexible work hours to ease breastfeeding support for working mothers. These policies, implemented in some offices and state institutions, aim to allow mothers to care for their children without jeopardizing their livelihoods, contributing to healthier children and stronger families while reducing healthcare costs. Although the challenges are significant, Ade remains optimistic, stressing the need to include typically overlooked groups, such as adolescent mothers and women with HIV or disabilities, in public health plans. By advocating for a mix of policy, compassion, and community efforts, Ade envisions a future where breastfeeding is universally accessible in Nigeria, ultimately protecting mothers and securing the nation’s future.
