Lagos State has recorded significant improvements in maternal and child health indicators, following the implementation of the Alive & Thrive project between 2023 and 2025.
According to new data released at the dissemination and closeout of the Accelerating the Scale of Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (ASMIYCN) project, early initiation of breastfeeding in Lagos rose by 17 per cent, while exclusive breastfeeding increased by 10.8 per cent.
Speaking at the event, Lagos team lead for FHI360/Alive & Thrive, Dr. Olawumi Ajayi, said the project was designed to strengthen existing health systems and address pressing nutrition challenges.
She recalled that when the initiative resumed in Lagos in 2022, early initiation of breastfeeding stood at just 14 per cent, while exclusive breastfeeding was 37.4 per cent, and almost half of women of reproductive age were anemic.
“With support from the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Board, we implemented maternal and child nutrition interventions across seven local government areas, later scaling to all 20 LGAs for multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS),” Ajayi explained.
Key achievements of the project include training 393 frontline health workers across 124 primary health centres, integrating nutrition counselling into antenatal and postnatal care, engaging communities through 270 volunteers, and reaching hundreds of thousands with nutrition campaigns.
Other speakers, including representatives of the Gates Foundation and the Lagos State Ministry of Health, commended the project for laying a strong foundation for healthier pregnancies, safer births, and better nutrition outcome