The Borno State Government has announced a six-month maternity leave policy for working mothers on its payroll.
Dr Mohammed Ghuluze, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Human Services, made this known at a symposium held as part of the 2023 World Breastfeeding Week in Maiduguri, the state capital.
He said that the state government is speeding up efforts to reach the World Health Assembly’s 50% exclusive breastfeeding objective, up from the current 40%.
He stated:
“It is intended to galvanise action across multiple sectors, including the private sector, on how to improve existing breastfeeding facilities, create new ones where there are none, and review the possibility of legislating policies that promote breastfeeding-friendly workplaces”.
In response, the chairman of the Borno State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Maina Mustapha Garba, stated that the state government provides four months of maternity leave for working moms and that attempts are being made to increase it to six months.
Garba, a health practitioner, advocated greater joint efforts among key players to raise awareness of the need for six-month maternity vacations and friendly workplaces for nursing mother in the state.
Dr. Bashaar Abdul-Baki, the state coordinator of Alive and Thrive, expressed dedication to developing regulations that support breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, such as offering dedicated lactation rooms and flexible working hours for nursing mother.
Every year in the first week of August, World Breastfeeding Week is organised to encourage and push good change for working parents.
cc: Daily Post Ng
