The code, as stated by the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, and represented by the Borno State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mr. Jamil Audu, has the objective of promoting the provision of safe and nutritious feeding for infants, as well as safeguarding breastfeeding women from the potentially harmful effects of aggressive marketing strategies employed by manufacturers of baby foods.
Today, we have convened to formally establish the committee in the state of Borno and to enhance the competencies of its members in preparation for the significant undertaking that lies ahead. According to Adeyeye, the successful accomplishment of this task has been made possible via the assistance of our enduring collaborator, Alive and Thrive, who have demonstrated remarkable dedication towards the execution of the BMS Code.
As to her statement, the objectives of BMS monitoring encompass various aspects, including the identification of implementation or compliance levels, reporting of these violations, and the initiation of an enforcement system aimed at halting such infractions and deterring future occurrences.
During her address, Mrs. Eva Edwards, the head of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at NAFDAC, highlighted that the BMS Code constitutes a series of guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for adoption by member nations of the United Nations (UN).
According to her statement, those on the committee were carefully chosen based on their professional expertise, with the aim of significantly enhancing the practice of breastfeeding throughout the region of Borno.
The objective of our endeavor is not alone to acquire information, but also to assume the role of catalysts for constructive transformation within our localities and beyond. Edward expressed the importance of steadfastly advocating for the preservation of baby health, the rights of women, and the sacredness of breastfeeding.