Nigeria faces huge blood shortage as stakeholders call for increased voluntary blood donation

Stakeholders in the health sector have expressed worry over huge blood deficit, collection with only 500,000 pints of blood annually against an estimated national demand of over 1.8 million units in Nigeria

The gap, which is about one-third of Nigeria’s annual blood requirement, puts lives at constant risk, particularly for maternal complications and women in labor, trauma and accident victims requiring immediate surgery, sickle cell patients and those with chronic illnesses.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least, two percent of a country’s population donate blood annually to ensure an adequate supply.

Speaking at a one-day stakeholder meeting held at the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), attended by South-West Zonal Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State in which government officials, haematologists, development partners, healthcare providers, voluntary blood donors and civil society organisations, health experts called for concerted efforts to close the blood donation deficit.

At the meeting, themed ‘Normalizing Voluntary Blood Donation: The Role of Different Stakeholders in Transfusion Medicine,’ which marked the conclusion of activities commemorating the 2026 World Blood Donor Day, they also pointed out the need to strengthen Nigeria’s blood transfusion system.

Taiwo Kotila, a professor of Haematology and Dean of the Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, who delivered the keynote lecture, stated that blood is the only medicine that cannot be manufactured in any laboratory saying, “It can only come from healthy people who willingly donate to save the lives of others.”

Saying that voluntary blood donation is the foundation of every effective healthcare system, the professor noted that countries with efficient blood transfusion systems depend largely on voluntary, unpaid donors.

According to Kotila, “Nigeria must deliberately build that culture if we are serious about guaranteeing safe blood for every patient that needs it. Every eligible Nigerian should see blood donation as an act of humanity and civic responsibility. One unit of blood has the potential to save multiple lives. There is no greater gift than giving someone another chance to live.

“Many deaths arises from childbirth complications, accidents, major surgeries, childhood anaemia, cancers and other medical emergencies could be prevented if safe blood is readily available. A single blood donation could benefit several patients because donated blood is separated into different components for different medical conditions.

“So, Nigerians should embrace regular voluntary blood donation, dependence on family replacement and commercial blood donors is neither sustainable nor the safest option.”

Kotila however, implored healthcare providers to maintain global standards in blood screening, storage and transfusion, noting that increasing blood supply must go hand in hand with guaranteeing blood safety.

To promote voluntary blood donation across the country, she called, for stronger collaboration among governments, healthcare institutions, educational institutions, religious organisations, corporate bodies and development partners.

Kehinde Adegoke, medical doctor and the director of Medical Laboratory Services, Oyo State Ministry of health who represented Akintunde Kehinde Ayinde, medical doctor and Permanent Secretary of the Oyo State Ministry of Health at the event, commended the NBSA for supporting Oyo State in screening donated blood and filling critical gaps in blood safety systems.

“The NBSA has remained a dependable partner. They have continued to support the state by ensuring that blood used for transfusion is properly screened and complies with quality management standards,” he noted.

He however, disclosed that Oyo State government is strengthening its regulatory framework to improve blood transfusion services.

According to him, “Government is aware of these challenges and is working to ensure that the necessary legal framework is in place. Beyond legislation, we have monitoring teams that regularly inspect healthcare facilities to ensure compliance with approved standards.”

He added that healthcare facility found violating blood transfusion regulations would face appropriate sanctions, including closure where necessary.

Bodunrin Osikomaiya, medical doctor and the executive secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service, stated that through sustained public awareness, stronger regulation and institutional support, the state was

able to build a more effective blood transfusion system.

While encouraging other states to adopt proven strategies that have helped Lagos State to improve voluntary blood donation and blood safety in Lagos, she posited that collaboration and knowledge-sharing among states would strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Oladapo Aworanti, medical doctor and the South-West Zonal Director of the NBSA, in his welcome address said that despite Nigeria’s huge population, blood supply remains grossly inadequate.

While saying that the World Health Organization recommends that at least one percent of a country’s population should donate blood annually to meet national demand, Aworanti said: “If Nigeria has about 220 million people, our annual blood requirement should be about 2.2 million units of blood. If we are 250 million, the demand rises to 2.5 million units. Sadly, across Africa, including Nigeria, we can only meet the needs of one out of every three people requiring blood transfusion.”

According to Aworanti, “If three patients urgently need blood today, we struggle to provide blood for just one of them. Even among the blood we are able to collect, there are concerns about how much comes from commercial or paid donors, which poses additional safety risks for recipients.

“Increasing voluntary, unpaid blood donation remains the safest and most sustainable way of guaranteeing adequate blood supply. We want to engage every stakeholder. We want to know whether healthcare facilities are doing enough, whether we are adequately taking care of our voluntary donors, and what more governments can do to strengthen blood transfusion services.”

The NBSA, he stated, remains committed to its mandate of providing safe and adequate blood for every Nigerian in need adding that the stakeholders’ engagement was conceived earlier in the year to review the agency’s activities and identify practical solutions to the challenges confronting blood transfusion services across the country.

“Our agenda covers every phase of transfusion medicine, from voluntary blood donation to safe laboratory screening and effective transfusion practices. The gathering is not a jamboree but a strategically designed to reposition blood transfusion services and chart a collective path forward,” he added.

Adding that the meeting is about finding practical solutions that will benefit not only Oyo State but eventually every state in the South-West and Nigeria as a whole, he revealed, that recommendations from the meeting would be documented and forwarded to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja where necessary, while issues within the capacity of the zonal office would receive immediate attention.

“We will follow through. Whatever actions are required at the zonal level will be implemented immediately, while policy recommendations requiring national attention will be transmitted to Abuja. Our goal is continuous improvement.”