UNICEF Ghana joined the global community in observing World Breastfeeding Week (1–7 August 2025)—this year themed “Breastfeeding: Building Systems for Lifelong Health”—issuing a renewed call for sustainable support frameworks and stronger legal protections to ensure mothers can initiate and continue breastfeeding safely.
Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months is globally recommended by UNICEF and WHO, yet in Ghana only 52.6% of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, while 41.8% of newborns are not breastfed within the first hour of life. Nationally, the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding stands at just 2.9 months, far short of the six-month recommendation. These figures vary sharply by region: in the Western North Region the average is just one month, while in the Savannah Region it reaches only 4.9 months.
UNICEF Ghana reaffirmed that progress remains fragile and inequitable. More than half of newborns in Greater Accra, Ahafo, and Eastern Regions miss out on early breastfeeding, while rural areas battle cultural, health system, and economic barriers .
A key milestone in policy has been Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 1667, which strictly regulates the marketing of breastmilk substitutes. It bans promotion, advertising, and distribution of formula, bottles, teats, and pacifiers in health facilities and prohibits free samples to healthcare workers. The law mandates six months of exclusive breastfeeding and continuation alongside complementary feeding up to two years or beyond.
To strengthen enforcement, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) introduced a QR code reporting system, empowering citizens to log violations of L.I. 1667 directly from their phones. UNICEF praised this accountability tool, noting that societal participation is essential for effective monitoring .
At the heart of UNICEF’s message is the assertion that no mother should breastfeed without support. Their platform emphasizes a multisectoral approach: mothers need skilled counselling from trained health professionals at all levels; workplace policies must uphold breastfeeding rights; and community-based peer support networks should offer continuity beyond clinic visits.
Breastfeeding’s impact goes beyond infant survival. UNICEF highlighted that investing just US $1 in breastfeeding yields about US $35 in economic return. Benefits accrue at multiple levels: stronger childhood nutrition, lower healthcare costs, fewer lost workdays, and protective effects for mothers—such as reduced risks of breast and ovarian cancer.
In Ghana, UNICEF called on various actors for collective action:
- Government agencies must allocate adequate funding for breastfeeding programmes, ensure L.I. 1667 is fully implemented, and support training for health workers.
- Employers and labour stakeholders must enforce breastfeeding-friendly workplace policies, including paid breaks, lactation spaces, and respectful culture.
- Health facilities should scale up the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, embedding baby-friendly practices into routine care.
- Communities, including traditional leaders, should sponsor peer-to-peer mother support groups, reinforcing early initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, and navigation of challenges.
UNICEF stressed that fragmented efforts won’t suffice. Without end-to-end systems—health, legal, workplace, community many mothers will continue to face obstacles alone. Building resilience means embedding breastfeeding into Ghana’s social, economic, and legal structures.
This message mattered especially this week, as WBW aligns with renewed global momentum from the World Health Assembly, which in May adopted resolutions requiring countries to regulate online marketing of formula and extend nutrition targets through 2030.
UNICEF Ghana reiterated that progress in Sri Lanka—a country where 90% of mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first hour and 82% practice exclusive breastfeeding—demonstrates the power of consistent policy, strong counselling infrastructure, and inclusive workplace laws (although not Ghana’s direct example) (WHO global resolution background).
As Ghana marks WBW 2025, the message is clear: sustainability matters. Breastfeeding is not merely a health act, but a fundamental right and socio-economic foundation. For every mother empowered to breastfeed with support, a child is more likely to survive, thrive, and contribute to national development.
By uniting government, communities, employers, and healthcare systems, Ghana can move beyond statistics to ensure that every infant receives the best possible start, and every mother is backed by laws, workplaces, and policies that make breastfeeding not an option—but the norm.
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