In Focus
Improving donor engagement in Nigeria
How to ensure the safety and sustainability of Nigeria’s blood supply?
Access to safe blood in Nigeria, a multi-ethnic and densely populated country in West Africa with a population exceeding 235 million, remains a major public health concern.
Current estimates from the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA) indicate that annual collections reach just over 50% of the minimum requirement recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), with voluntary donors contributing only 25%. This shortfall has significant implications for both the availability and safety of blood. Addressing these challenges requires sustained cultural change toward regular blood donation and improvements in testing quality.
However, investment in infrastructure, training, and quality systems is constrained by inadequate government funding. Behavioural reorientation, while requiring some resources, is further limited by the time needed to reshape personal habits, social influences, and psychological factors that determine donation behaviour.
In 2019, we conducted a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perception (KAP) study among Nigerian students1, which highlighted the need for increased awareness and education to strengthen donor recruitment.
Furthermore, understanding donor motivations is critical, particularly among people of African descent, where altruistic preferences may manifest as kin-altruism (helping relatives and friends) or need-altruism (helping those in need).
A recent study2 found no significant difference in kin-altruism between Black and White participants, though Black-British individuals demonstrated lower levels of need-altruism compared to White-British participants. These findings suggest that while kin-altruism remains consistent across groups, lower need-altruism among Black donors may hinder recruitment, underscoring the importance of tailored strategies to enhance donation rates in Black communities.
Achieving a sustainable supply of safe blood in Nigeria will therefore require a multifaceted approach. Central to this is the exploration of psychological factors that explain, predict, and promote positive donation behaviours, and the translation of these insights into practice. Behavioural studies are urgently needed to generate evidence that can inform policy development, guide recruitment strategies, and ultimately improve donor retention. Such efforts will be essential to ensuring both the safety and sustainability of Nigeria’s blood supply.
References
1. Ogundeji, S.P., Ajayi, O.D., Busari, O.E., Ogundeji, O.A., Adepoju, O.A. and Esan, F.G. Knowledge, attitude, and perception towards voluntary blood donation among university students in Nigeria. Vox Sanguinis, 2021, 16: 85-91.
2. Ferguson E, Dawe-Lane E, Ajayi O, Osikomaiya B, Mills R, Okubanjo A The importance of need altruism and kin-altruism to blood donor behaviour for black and white people. Transfusion Medicine, 2024, 34(2):112‐123.
