In continuation of my commitments made on Pan-African Women’s Day 2025, and in steadfast partnership with the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, led by Ms Prudence Nonkululeko Ngwenya, I am pleased to reaffirm the Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s shared focus on maternal and child health equity as we observe World Breastfeeding Week 2025 under the theme: “Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems.”

Crucially, the integration of maternal and newborn HIV prevention into breastfeeding support must be elevated as both a public health imperative and a human rights obligation. As documented by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, pregnant and breastfeeding women in high-burden countries continue to be significantly underserved by HIV prevention programmes, despite their heightened biological and social vulnerability.

To achieve the targets of Agenda 2063 and realise the vision of the Maputo Protocol, we must reimagine breastfeeding support as a core pillar of gender-responsive, integrated primary healthcare. This includes:

• Universal access to routine antenatal HIV testing

• Availability of long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis such as CAB-LA within maternal health services

• Integration of early infant diagnosis into immunisation schedules

• Strengthening of midwifery-led, community-based models of care that uphold women’s dignity, autonomy, and agency

At the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, we remain committed to advancing these priorities through multi-sectoral programming, evidence-based advocacy, and the continued mobilisation of frontline health workers—especially midwives and nurses, who form the backbone of respectful maternity care.

As we mark World Breastfeeding Week 2025, we call upon governments, global partners, and civil society to scale what works, fund what matters, and uphold the right of every African woman to breastfeed safely, confidently, and free from fear, stigma, or exclusion.