NaNA DG Calls for Review of Breastfeeding Promotion Regulations to Curb Unethical Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes

By Alieu Jallow

The Director General of the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA), Malang N. Fofana, has called for a legal review of The Gambia’s Breastfeeding Promotion Regulations to strengthen enforcement mechanisms against the unethical marketing of breastmilk substitutes, particularly on digital and social media platforms.

Mr. Fofana made the call during a press briefing held as part of events marking the national commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week 2026, where health professionals, development partners, and policymakers renewed their commitment to protecting and promoting breastfeeding as a cornerstone of child survival and nutrition.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Fofana noted that while The Gambia has made significant progress in promoting exclusive breastfeeding, emerging marketing tactics by infant formula companies require stronger legal and regulatory oversight.

“Nowadays, social media is one of the biggest platforms used to advertise some of the infant formula that companies are marketing. We also need to strengthen our enforcement mechanisms under the regulations to avoid unethical marketing of breastmilk substitutes in our country and within our health facilities,” he said.

This year’s World Breastfeeding Week is being commemorated under the theme “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” highlighting the need to protect existing gains while addressing new challenges affecting infant feeding practices.

Mr. Fofana’s remarks come against the backdrop of growing global concern over the digital marketing of breastmilk substitutes, which the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have warned can undermine breastfeeding by exposing parents to misleading promotional messages that violate the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

The Gambia adopted the Breastfeeding Promotion Regulations in 2006, providing a legal framework to regulate the marketing, promotion, and distribution of breastmilk substitutes, feeding bottles, and teats. The regulations are intended to protect mothers and families from misleading advertising while ensuring that infant feeding information is accurate, evidence-based, and free from commercial influence. However, stakeholders say the rapid expansion of online and social media advertising has exposed gaps in the current enforcement framework, prompting calls for its review.

According to the Global Breastfeeding Scorecard 2024, optimal breastfeeding of all children under two years of age could prevent an estimated 600,000 child deaths every year. The report identifies breastfeeding as one of the most cost-effective interventions for improving child survival, nutrition, and human capital development globally.

In The Gambia, more than half of infants — approximately 54 percent — are exclusively breastfed during their first six months of life, surpassing the current global average of 48 percent. The achievement reflects decades of sustained investment by the Government, NaNA, the Ministry of Health, development partners, and communities.

Despite this progress, challenges remain. Only 36 percent of newborns are breastfed within the first hour after birth, an important practice that significantly improves newborn survival and supports successful breastfeeding.

Sharing her personal experience, UNICEF Representative to The Gambia, Ms. Nafisa Binte Shafique, recounted breastfeeding her daughter during her university years and stressed that greater efforts are needed to improve early initiation of breastfeeding.

She said the low rate of breastfeeding within the first hour after birth underscores the need for intensified public awareness, stronger support systems for mothers immediately after delivery, and policies that enable women to breastfeed successfully.

Ms. Shafique also highlighted existing legal protections for breastfeeding mothers under the Women’s Act 2010 and the Labour Act 2023, which provide six months of paid maternity leave, daily nursing breaks for breastfeeding mothers, and ten working days of paid paternity leave.

“These provisions recognise that breastfeeding is a shared responsibility. No mother should have to choose between earning a living and giving her child the nourishment, care, and protection needed to survive and thrive. The Gambia’s Breastfeeding Promotion Regulations 2006 also protect families from inappropriate marketing of breastmilk substitutes and promote accurate information on infant feeding,” she said.

She reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting the Ministry of Health and the National Nutrition Agency through the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, the Baby-Friendly Community Initiative, and workplace policies that enable mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.

Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Director of Health Promotion and Education at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Rohey Njie, described breastfeeding as far more than a cost-saving intervention, noting that it provides complete nutrition for infants during the first six months of life while protecting them against infections, strengthening immunity, and supporting healthy brain development.

She added that breastfeeding also improves maternal health by reducing the risk of certain cancers, supporting healthy birth spacing, and enhancing mothers’ overall well-being.

“Breastfeeding also contributes to food security, environmental sustainability, and national economic development by reducing healthcare costs and improving human capital,” she said.

As The Gambia joins the rest of the world in celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, stakeholders have renewed calls for stronger laws, improved enforcement, and increased public awareness to safeguard breastfeeding from unethical commercial influence and ensure every child receives the healthiest possible start in life.