Nigeria has introduced new national standards and guidelines for organ and tissue transplants to regulate a sector long plagued by ethical concerns and exploitation, the country’s health minister announced on Thursday.
Despite growing medical expertise, Nigeria’s transplant system faces challenges, including donor shortages, cultural resistance, and legal gaps that have fueled illicit activities and heightened trafficking risks.
The new framework aims to enforce transparency and align practices with international standards in Africa’s most populous nation. It explicitly bans organ sales and mandates ethical oversight.
“In recent times, we have witnessed troubling incidents and other excesses with organ transplantation,” said Jimoh Salaudeen, director of hospital services at the health ministry. He noted that victims, often from impoverished backgrounds, are frequently targeted by criminal networks offering financial incentives or false promises of a better future.
Minister of State for Health Iziaq Adekunle Salako said the guidelines cover kidney, liver, bone marrow, cornea, gamete, and embryo donation, as well as storage and surrogacy. The regulations aim to establish a system based on voluntary donation and fair allocation, ensuring vulnerable populations are protected from exploitation, he added.
