Health
UNICEF urges increased media support for breastfeeding coverage
By John Charles
As the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week begins on Saturday, the United Nations Children’s Fund has charged media practitioners to sustain the importance of breastfeeding and child nutrition for human capital, health, and sustainable development.
This was the key message to newsmen during the two-day Zonal Media Dialogue, which ended at the weekend in Enugu.
Arewa PUNCH reports that the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week has the theme: “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works”
The media dialogue was organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State BCA) and funded by the US Government, United States Mission, Nigeria, Child Nutrition Fund, Gates Foundation, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for Journalists in Benue, Imo, Cross River, and Enugu states.
Delivering a lecture on “The Social Behavior Change Communication,” Dr. Hilary Ozoh, an Officer in Charge of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, emphasised that UNICEF remains committed to improving the life, nutrition, survival, and development of every child.
According to him, breastfeeding is one of the most effective and efficient investments any society can make for the future.
He enumerated the benefits inherent in exclusive breastfeeding, which he listed among others to include the best possible start in life for infants, strengthening the energy, improving positive development, and being significant to maternal health.
“It is also a critical intervention for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG,” he said.
Emphasising the need to engage the media in the dissemination of key advocacy for this year breastfeeding week, Dr Ozoh described the media as a powerful partner in shaping public opinion, influencing public policy, amplifying evidence-based messages, and inspiring positive behavioral change through accurate, consistent, and compelling storytelling.
“Journalists and media practitioners can help create an enabling environment where communities are empowered to make informed decisions about infant and young child issues,” he said.
The Communication Officer, UNICEF, Enugu Field Office, Dr Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, explained that the programme was aimed at promoting advocacy messages on World Breastfeeding Week for 2026 in line with the guidelines of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, in terms of promoting World Breastfeeding week which holds from 1st – 7th August, 2026.
She admonished media practitioners to exhume facts and disseminate to society about breastfeeding, advocate for the strengthening of family support, office, and market space for breastfeeding, as well as exclusive first six months breastfeeding.
Dr. Onuoha-Ogwe further stated that the two-day media dialogue, which also targeted state nutrition experts and UNICEF U Reporters, was focused on strengthening the capacity of media practitioners to accurately report and amplify evidence-based information on breastfeeding on infant and young child feeding, and maternal and child nutrition
“We want to promote strategic partnership between the government and the media, development partners, and civil societies to advance breastfeeding advocacy and support a healthy environment for optimal breastfeeding practices,” the Communication Officer, UNICEF, Enugu Field Office, noted.
She added, “UNICEF also wants to equip journalists and media influencers with practical storytelling techniques, enhance understanding of the policy and program environment through media advocacy, and develop State-level media action plans.
“Following the work plan development, we are sure there will be coordination of media advocacy in place. It would be a year-long engagement of policymakers to take action on breastfeeding”, Dr Onuoha-Ogwe said.
A Consultant Public Health Physician at the Department of Community Medicine, Enugu State University of Technology, Dr Chikezie Obasi, who delivered a paper titled: “Leveraging on Media For Advocacy on infant and Young child feeding, child survival and Development, Strengthening what works for Breastfeeding,” disclosed that nearly 820,000 child deaths could have been prevented annually through optimal breastfeeding.
Dr Obasi urged journalists to be in the vanguard of amplifying, scrutinising, mobilising, and sensitising policymakers on compulsory six months paid maternity leave as well as exclusive breastfeeding that helps shape the survival, growth, and development of the child.
Also, a Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Enugu field office, Ngozi Onuora noted that out of 38 million children under five years, 15 million experience stunted growth, 10 million are wasted and 12 million are anaemic, intimating that two out of every three children aged between 6-23 months suffer from food poverty and another two out of three children are not exclusively breastfed, adding that 46 per cent of children in Benue State are malnourished with 20 percent having normal growth.
She also emphasised the urgent need for broader sensitisation to bridge the existing gaps.
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