The federal ministry of health in collaboration with the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) will hold a three-day national summit on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF).
This is contained in a statement signed by Boade Akinola, director of media and public relations in the ministry, and made available to journalists in Abuja.
According to the statement, the theme of the summit is ‘Complementary Feeding for Growth and Development’.
The summit, which would be declared open in Abuja by Isaac Adewole, the minister of health, holds between April 26 and 28.
The conference is to accelerate responses to improve complementary feeding practices of children aged six to 23 months.
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“This is with a view to reducing malnutrition and promoting national development,” Akintola said in the statement.
“It is predicated on Nigeria being a signatory to the global recommendations for optimal infant and young child feeding by adopting early initiation of breastfeeding within half an hour of childbirth.
“The summit will also promote exclusive breastfeeding for six months and introduction of adequate, safe, solid, semi-solid and soft complementary feeding from six months to 23 months.”
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The summit would urge mothers to continue breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond.
It stated that participants would be drawn from the 36 states of the federation, including the federal capital territory (FCT), the academia, private sector, donors and nutrition partners.
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