Govt orders breastfeeding reforms as exclusive rates remain below 50%

Patience Makwele

The ministry of health and social services has announced a nationwide rollout of the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” across all maternity wards, antenatal clinics and health facilities as Namibia battles low exclusive breastfeeding rates and persistent child malnutrition.

Launching World Breastfeeding Week 2026 at Windhoek Central Hospital on Monday, deputy minister Suzan Ndjaleka said the initiative forms part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening support systems for mothers after the 2024 SMART Nutrition Survey revealed that only 49% of infants aged zero to five months are exclusively breastfed.

The survey also found that early initiation of breastfeeding stands at 63.6%, while continued breastfeeding drops to 36% among children aged 12 to 23 months. Bottle-feeding practices were recorded at 34.1%.

“These numbers tell us that our children are being weaned too early, often onto inadequate complementary foods, directly exposing them to the risks of malnutrition and chronic illness. We must change this narrative,” Ndjaleka said.