National Nutrition Agency observes National Breastfeeding Week
By Fatou Gassama
The National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) of The Gambia on Thursday 7th August 2025, at its conference hall commemorated the National Breastfeeding Week 2025 with a strong appeal to employers to create more breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, citing the role of breastfeeding in improving child and maternal health outcomes.
Speaking during a press conference held at NaNA, Abdul Aziz Ceesay, Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) Director at NaNA emphasised that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months is critical to reducing child mortality and boosting immunity, ”This is a month dedicated to children on breastfeeding because it is their right to food and to be exclusively breastfeed”.
He said this year’s theme is ”Priorities Breastfeeding Create Sustainable Support System.”
Fatou Darboe, program manager for Nutrition under the ministry of health said, breastfeeding is the foundation of food security, adding that it is natures first vaccine and first food system.
She added that global evidence shows that exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life could prevent about 823 child deaths annually. She noted that while they have made progress with regards to exclusive breastfeeding, rates stands at 54 percent, adding that at the ministry of health they are committed to strengthening baby friendly hospitals and expand not only in urban areas but also in rural hospital as well as train more health workers at all levels to prove skills support.
”Breastfeeding is a shared responsibility not just for the mothers but between families, communities, health system and workplaces,” she stated.
Also speaking at the press conference, Bakary Jallow, Deputy Executive Director at NaNA said breastfeeding is natural, providing renewable food that is environmentally safe. Mr Jallow added that breastfeeding is produced and delivered without pollution, packaging or waste thus creating a sustainable solution that is good for the planet and its people. “Prioritisation and support of Breastfeeding has the potential to reduce the growing climate impact of artificial infant feed supply chains,” he pointed out.
He went on to say that the objectives of 2025 World Breastfeeding Week are to inform people about their role in creating supportive and sustainable environments for breastfeeding, anchor continuous breastfeeding support as a vital component to create a sustainable environment, engage with individuals and organisations to enhance collaboration and support for beastfeeding and galvanise actions on connecting breastfeeding support systems to create a sustainable environment.
Jallow added that The Gambia, through the National Nutrition Agency commemorates the World Breastfeeding Week annually alongside other countries, noting that the celebration is observed with partners like the Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF.
“In order to showcase how important breastfeeding is to the country and her people, the whole month of August is dedicated to celebrating the event,” he also said.
According to Mr Jallow, every child should be breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary food for up to two years and beyond regardless of background or status.
”In 2022, 45% of child deaths globally were linked to undernutrition. According to the World Health Organisations estimates, 149 million children under the age of five are stunted (too short for age), 45 million are wasted (too thin for height), and 37 million are overweight or obese. Approximately 820,000 children’s lives could be saved every year, if all children 0-23 months were optimally breastfed.”
He therefore noted that, the enactment of the Nutrition Act 2024, the development and periodic review of the National Nutrition Policy and the Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategic Plan to address the current realities, enforcement of the Breastfeeding Regulations 2006 implementation of baby friendly hospitals initiative program which gave birth to the baby friendly community initiative, and the high-level stakeholders involvement in promoting breastfeeding are among the strategies to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
He said that NaNa also plans to advocate for commitment from government institutions, the private sector and law makers to establish breastfeeding friendly workplaces. He added that this will be accompanied by radio panel discussion both at national and regional levels as well as special television programs to highlight the important aspect of the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week commemoration.
He urge everyone to make the most of the occasion by adapting and adhering to the messages and advice from experts.
