Accra: In commemorating the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week, UNICEF Ghana has called for the creation of sustainable support systems, especially at workplaces and communities that empower mothers to breastfeed safely and successfully. It says the week is a vital platform to promote breastfeeding as a cornerstone of child survival, growth, and lifelong health.
According to Ghana News Agency, this year's theme: 'Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems,' highlights the urgent need for long-term and inclusive structures that support breastfeeding across all settings. The structures include legal frameworks, healthcare practices, workplace policies, and community engagement that collectively ensure mothers are not left to navigate breastfeeding challenges alone.
A statement from UNICEF to the Ghana News Agency said the Fund and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that infants be breastfed within one hour of birth and exclusively breastfed in their first six months of life, with no other foods and liquids provided. At six months, it advised that babies begin eating safe, adequate, and diverse complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding up to two years or beyond.
In Ghana, while progress has been made, challenges persist. Over the past two decades, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for infants under six months has remained relatively stagnant at 52.6 per cent. It explained that early initiation of breastfeeding was delayed for 41.8 per cent of newborns, with significant regional disparities. In the Greater Accra, Ahafo, and Eastern regions, more than half of babies did not begin breastfeeding within the first hour of life. Nationally, the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 2.9 months, far below the recommended six months, with regional variations ranging from just one month in Western North to 4.9 months in the Savannah Region.
A key milestone in Ghana's breastfeeding journey is the enactment of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 1667, which regulates the marketing of breastmilk substitutes. The law prohibits the promotion, advertising, and distribution of formula-breast milk supplements, bottles, teats, and pacifiers in health facilities, and bans free samples to healthcare workers. To strengthen enforcement, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has introduced a QR Code system that allows citizens to report violations, reinforcing accountability and community participation.
UNICEF Ghana supports the Government to ensure mothers get the help they need, when they need it, wherever they are-whether at work, home, or in their community, to protect their rights to breastfeed. The support includes building capacity to ensure skilled counselling from trained, empathetic health workers throughout their breastfeeding journey, advocating workplace policies that protect their right to breastfeed, and community networks that provide ongoing support.
The benefits of breastfeeding, UNICEF said, extend beyond child health as mothers who breastfeed have reduced risks of breast and ovarian cancers. Economically, it said investing in breastfeeding yields a high return-USD 35 for every USD 1 invested. 'Breastfeeding is the foundation of a healthy, thriving child. It protects lives, boosts development, and delivers economic gains,' it added.
To ensure every child gets the best start in life, UNICEF recommends that sustainable support systems be prioritised, requiring collective action from government, communities, workplaces, and families to enforce protective laws, invest in supportive initiatives, and normalise breastfeeding as a shared societal responsibility. UNICEF calls on all relevant actors to ensure adequate funding to support breastfeeding programmes, including protection from commercial influence.
UNICEF is the world's leading child rights organisation, working in over 190 countries and territories to reach every child, everywhere. It believes in the power of every child and is committed to protecting and promoting their rights, including the right to health and survival.
