Recent statistics have shown that a high percentage of pregnant women, particularly in the South-West and South-South regions, engage in alcohol consumption despite its well-documented risks to foetal health, News About Nigeria reports.
According to data, approximately 12.7% of pregnant women in the South-West region and 59% in the South-South region admit to consuming alcohol during their pregnancies.
In response to these high figures, Nigerian Breweries Plc, through its popular brands Maltina and Amstel Malta, has launched the ‘Mission Nine Zero’ campaign.
The initiative is designed to discourage pregnant women from consuming alcohol throughout the entire nine-month period, with a focus on raising awareness about the potential dangers and adverse effects on unborn babies.
Hans Essaadi, the Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, said that addressing social and environmental challenges, align with Heineken’s vision of a ‘Brew a Better World’ (BaBW) strategy.
Essaadi stressed that the campaign is not only directed at pregnant women but is a call to collective action against this growing societal concern.
“This campaign is not only focused on pregnant women but also a call to collective action against this growing societal concern. This year, we continue to consolidate our existing Brew a Better World (BaBW) initiatives by introducing Mission Nine-Zero, which is aimed at curbing the detrimental effects of alcohol misuse, notably among pregnant women. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has serious health effects on children, which could affect the quality of life they will live. As we all know, children are the future, and the onus is therefore upon us to protect that future by ensuring we deliver healthy babies while safeguarding the health of their mothers,” he said.
Sade Morgan, the Corporate Affairs Director at Nigerian Breweries Plc, shed light on the prevalence of alcohol abuse during pregnancy, attributing it to traditional beliefs and cultural sentiments.
The ‘Mission Nine Zero’ campaign aims to engage 500 direct advocates and reach 50,000 pregnant women through the Amstel and Maltina brands.
