The Katsina State Government has taken a significant step to support nursing mothers by extending maternity leave for female civil servants from the previous three months to four months and ten days.
This progressive policy change was announced by Abdullahi Aliyu-Turaji, the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Dikko Radda, during a meeting with officials from the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) at the Government House in Katsina.
According to Aliyu-Turaji, the decision was reached during a recent State Executive Council meeting as part of broader government initiatives aimed at promoting child nutrition and providing better support for working mothers across the state.
The Secretary of CS-SUNN Katsina chapter, Mr. AbdurRahman Abdullahi, has praised the state government for this policy shift, describing it as a "critical step towards encouraging exclusive breastfeeding" among nursing mothers in the state.
This extension aligns with global health recommendations that emphasize the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life, providing both nutritional benefits for infants and recovery time for new mothers.
The policy is expected to benefit thousands of female civil servants across Katsina State, potentially improving maternal and child health outcomes while setting a progressive example for other states in Nigeria.
Health experts have long advocated for extended maternity leave policies, citing research that shows benefits including reduced infant mortality, improved cognitive development in children, and better postpartum recovery for mothers.
The implementation timeline and specific details of the new policy are expected to be released by the Katsina State Civil Service Commission in the coming weeks.
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