UNICEF Calls on Private Sector to Adopt Six-Month Maternity Leave Policy

UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office in Kaduna, Gerida Birukila, has urged the private sector to implement a six-month maternity leave policy to support breastfeeding mothers. She made the appeal on Thursday during the ‘Youths Lead the Circle of Support for Breastfeeding’ event in Kaduna, which was held to mark World Breastfeeding Week.

Birukila emphasized that working mothers face significant challenges in exclusively breastfeeding their babies due to workplace demands and lack of support. She stated that a six-month maternity leave would enable mothers to stay home and breastfeed their children without interruption.

She further highlighted the crucial benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for six months, which can reduce infant mortality rates and significantly improve cognitive development. “Breast milk provides all the necessary nutrients for infants, boosting their immune systems and promoting healthy growth,” she said.

Birukila also stressed that a well-nourished mother could offer her baby the vital nutrients needed for growth and development. She encouraged pregnant women to maintain proper nutrition, take essential supplements, attend antenatal care, and ensure they are adequately supported.

The UNICEF official praised the state government for its efforts in supporting breastfeeding mothers by introducing a six-month paid maternity leave policy and establishing crèches in some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). These, she said, serve as best practice examples that the private sector could adopt to better support working mothers.

State’s Support for Breastfeeding Mothers

Nutrition Officer Ramatu Haruna highlighted the state’s initiatives for supporting breastfeeding mothers, noting that the six-month paid maternity leave policy and the establishment of crèches in MDAs allow working mothers to balance both their work and breastfeeding responsibilities.

Haruna emphasized that the private sector could play a key role in promoting breastfeeding by providing paid maternity leave, flexible work arrangements, and other supportive benefits for breastfeeding mothers. Such measures, she explained, would help mothers manage both family and work commitments more effectively.

Haruna also underscored the significant advantages of exclusive breastfeeding for infants, such as reducing infant mortality rates, improving cognitive development, and enhancing immune function. She encouraged employers to support working mothers by offering childcare services, flexible working hours, and other work-life balance benefits.

“By providing these benefits, employers can help mothers successfully balance work and family responsibilities,” she concluded.