Africa: Mothers Still Lack Support to Breastfeed, UN Warns

The United Nations has warned that despite a global rise in breastfeeding rates, millions of mothers and their families still lack the necessary support and protection to safely feed their infants. Health systems, workplaces, and communities must strengthen their efforts to provide mothers with essential counseling, enforce maternity protections, and combat the marketing of breastmilk substitutes.

As countries observe World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 to 7 under the theme "Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works. Keep Up," WHO and UNICEF emphasize the importance of scaling up breastfeeding to prevent nearly 400,000 child deaths and 140,000 maternal deaths annually. The agencies recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding up to two years or beyond, alongside appropriate complementary foods.

While global exclusive breastfeeding rates have improved from 37% in 2012 to over 47% today, coverage of supportive services remains low, especially in low-income, fragile, and humanitarian settings. In Sudan, a UNICEF-supported clinic at a displacement camp is helping mothers learn proper feeding practices for their babies, part of a comprehensive primary healthcare package.

UNICEF and WHO urge countries to enhance health systems, expand community counseling, invest in paid maternity leave and workplace protections, enforce the International Code on breastmilk substitute marketing, and maintain breastfeeding support in emergencies and fragile settings. They stress that investing in breastfeeding promotion yields an estimated $59 in economic returns for every dollar spent, through reduced healthcare costs, improved cognitive development, higher educational attainment, and increased lifetime earnings.