The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) has advised nursing mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding to improve the health status of their newborns.

The North-West director of the agency, Josephine Dayilim, advised at a one-day workshop on the ban on the promotion of breast milk substitutes on Friday in Kaduna.

NAFDAC organised the workshop in collaboration with the Carelink Resource Foundation.

Ms Dayilim, represented by Rahila Maishanu, NAFDAC desk officer in charge of breast milk substitutes in Kaduna, expressed the need for stakeholders to educate nursing mothers to maintain exclusive breastfeeding.

She said nursing mothers needed to be sensitised on the dangers involved in using breast milk substitutes on their newborns.

Ms Dayilim said there was a code that expressly banned the inappropriate marketing and advertising of breast milk substitutes.

She said the code also banned the promotion of such products.

Ms Dayilim called on stakeholders to adhere to the code.

Participants at the workshop cut across various organisations, such as the National Union of Road Transport Workers, traditional leaders and health workers, among others.

The participants promised to adhere to the code and implement it in their respective domains. 

(NAN)