Nigeria is facing a severe blood crisis, with the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA) reporting that only 24,000 to 25,000 units of blood were collected in 2025. This falls far short of the estimated 1.8 million to two million units required annually to meet the transfusion needs of the country's over 200 million population. The NBSA said that at least two per cent of Nigeria's population needs to participate in blood donation to bridge the supply gap.
The Director-General of the NBSA, Prof. Saleh Yuguda, disclosed that inadequate voluntary donations remain a major obstacle to achieving sufficient national blood reserves. Despite efforts to improve blood collection and strengthen transfusion services, the agency continues to struggle with meeting the country's blood requirements. Yuguda said that the agency has been working to improve blood collection, but there is still a huge gap to fill.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that Nigeria's blood collection in 2024 was 371,827 units, with voluntary blood donations increasing from 12,568 in 2024 to 16,344 in 2025. However, this still falls significantly short of the country's overall blood requirements. The WHO recommends that countries collect at least 10 units of blood per 1,000 people annually to meet basic clinical needs, with an emphasis on voluntary, unpaid donors providing the safest and most reliable blood supply.
The blood shortage has serious implications for maternal healthcare, emergency surgeries, road traffic accident victims, children with severe anaemia, and patients living with sickle cell disease and cancer. Postpartum haemorrhage accounts for approximately 23 to 30 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria, making timely access to safe blood particularly important in managing childbirth complications.
To address the crisis, the NBSA is strengthening its regulatory and monitoring framework to improve the safety, quality, and traceability of blood collected and distributed across the country. The agency is introducing a digital platform, the National Blood Management System, to monitor the collection, processing, distribution, and use of donated blood. This electronic system will enable the tracking of every unit of blood from the donor to the recipient.
The NBSA is also expanding its hospital linkage programme to improve blood distribution and prevent practices that could compromise the quality and safety of donated blood. The agency is strengthening the registration and regulation of public and private blood banks, with hospitals and blood transfusion establishments required to register with the agency to ensure compliance with approved standards.
The NBSA official called for government intervention to make blood available free of charge, arguing that eliminating financial barriers would improve access for patients requiring transfusion and encourage a stronger culture of voluntary donation. The agency, in collaboration with international partners, has trained personnel from 30 institutions on safe blood donation procedures and clinical transfusion practices.
Key points
- Nigeria needs at least two per cent of its population to participate in blood donation to bridge the supply gap.
- The country's blood requirements are estimated at between 1.8 million and two million units annually.
- The WHO recommends that countries collect at least 10 units of blood per 1,000 people annually to meet basic clinical needs.
