From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged Borno State government to strengthen policies for nursing motjers especially provisions that support maternity leave for six months for working mothers in the public sector.
Officer-in-Charge UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Joseph Senesie in an address at the 2024 World Breastfeeding Week in Maiduguri, said strengthening of the policies that supporting nursing mothers and babies will improve effective breastfeeding in the area.
“Strengthen policy provisions that support maternity leave for 6 months in the public sector, and the provision of creches and breastfeeding-friendly workplaces in the private sector, to increase working mothers to breastfeed,” he declared.
Senesie said the six-month maternity leave for working mothers is yet to be implemented in Borno State. He said it was high time the government start the policy.
He also advocated for Increase in the funding for the implementation of the Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) 2021-2025 Strategy. He said the strategy will help im supporting social and behaviour change for “appropriate infant and young child feeding.”
The World Breastfeeding Week which started in 1992 to promote appropriate breastfeed for the protection of infants and children, is commemorated globally between August 1 and 7 every year. The theme of this year is Closing the gap: Breastfeeding Support for all
