A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Alive & Thrive in collaboration with key stakeholders in Lagos on Thursday advocated for family-friendly workplace breastfeeding policies.
The Project Director of Alive & Thrive, Dr Victor Ogbodo, made the recommendation at a programme organised by the NGO in Lagos as part of activities to mark the 2023 World Breastfeeding Week.
Ogbodo said such a step would create a supportive environment that would promote six months exclusive breastfeeding for working mothers.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the progamme was organised in collaboration with FHI 360, a nonprofit human development organisation and Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).
The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is an annual week-long event observed during the first week of August.
The theme for the 2023 WBW is : “Enable Breastfeeding, Making a Difference for Working Parents.”
This year’s campaign focuses on promoting practices that can help support workplace-related breastfeeding in different countries.
“Breastfeeding plays a vital role in the health and development of infants, providing essential nutrients and antibodies that foster their growth and protection against illnesses.
“For many working mothers, balancing the demands of work with breastfeeding can be a daunting challenge in part because of unsupportive breastfeeding policies.
“Many mothers are not able to exclusively breastfeed their babies because they have to return to work soon after having their babies.
“By empowering key corporate leaders across society, we can foster positive changes that supports the well-being of working parents and promotes the health as well as development of their children.
“A friendlier corporate workplace breastfeeding policy not only benefits the well-being of employees, but also contributes to enhanced employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention,” Ogbodo said.
According to the project director, the organisation recently hosted an engagement session with leading corporate leaders and human resources managers of large organisations in the private sector to promote family friendly workplaces.
Also speaking, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, the Director-General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), urged more organisations to join the movement towards a more inclusive and nurturing work environment.
“Creating a nurturing work environment for nursing mothers and their families is not only a social responsibility but also a key driver of employee well-being and productivity,” Oyerinde said.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria