Ayodeji AkeLagos State has exceeded the global target for exclusive breastfeeding, recording a 57.4 per cent rate among nursing mothers, but health authorities say improving breastfeeding within the first hour after birth remains a major challenge requiring urgent attention. She said the state’s exclusive breastfeeding rate has surpassed the global benchmark of 50 per cent, describing the achievement as a reflection of sustained investments in maternal and child nutrition programmes. “The importance of breastfeeding as a child survival strategy, especially in the first six months of life, cannot be over-emphasised. Ogunyemi recalled that Lagos State introduced six months of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave for public servants more than a decade ago to support exclusive breastfeeding. Also speaking, the Lagos State Coordinator of CS-SUNN, Akinyode Samuel, commended the state government for implementing family-friendly policies that have strengthened breastfeeding practices.