Blood Donor Day 2026: Yuguda Seeks Stronger National Blood Supply System

The Director-General of the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), Prof. Saleh Yuguda, has called for strengthened voluntary blood donation systems across Nigeria ahead of the 2026 World Blood Donor Day, urging stakeholders to prioritise sustainable access to safe blood for patients nationwide.

Yuguda made the appeal in a message to stakeholders and partners on Tuesday, where he emphasized the need to expand voluntary, regular and unpaid blood donation as a central pillar of Nigeria’s national health system.

He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has adopted the slogan, “One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives,” for the 2026 global campaign, which is aimed at improving access to safe blood transfusion services and promoting humanitarian participation in blood donation.

According to him, Nigeria must scale up awareness and participation in voluntary donation to ensure adequate supply of blood for patients requiring transfusions for emergencies, surgeries, maternal health complications and other critical medical conditions.

Yuguda explained that the campaign is designed to build a sustainable blood supply framework that reduces reliance on replacement or paid donations, while strengthening national preparedness for health emergencies.

“The campaign seeks to drive sustained growth in regular, voluntary and unpaid blood donation worldwide, while raising awareness about the life-saving impact of blood and plasma donation,” he said.

He added that the initiative also seeks to highlight the contributions of donors and promote values of compassion, solidarity and humanity that underpin voluntary blood donation practices.

“The campaign is designed to highlight the invaluable contributions of blood donors and promote the enduring values of solidarity, compassion and humanity that underpin blood donation,” he stated.

The NBSA boss further called on governments, development partners and other stakeholders to increase investments in national blood programmes, stressing that improved funding and coordination are essential to achieving universal access to safe blood transfusion services.

“It will encourage governments, development partners and relevant stakeholders to strengthen and invest in national blood programmes in order to achieve universal access to safe blood transfusion services,” Yuguda said.

He disclosed that the 2026 campaign would place strong emphasis on community engagement, with efforts extending beyond hospitals to grassroots communities across the country in order to deepen awareness and participation.

According to him, traditional rulers, youth groups, faith-based organisations and other local stakeholders will be actively engaged to promote voluntary blood donation and address misconceptions that discourage participation.

“Traditional institutions, community leaders, youth groups, faith-based organisations and local stakeholders will be actively engaged to domesticate the message of voluntary blood donation at the grassroots level and foster a stronger culture of community ownership of blood services,” he said.

Yuguda noted that the community-based approach is intended to improve public understanding of blood donation, dispel myths and build a sustainable pool of voluntary donors capable of meeting Nigeria’s healthcare needs.

“The community-based approach is aimed at deepening public understanding of the importance of blood donation, dispelling misconceptions surrounding the practice, and building sustainable donor pools capable of supporting national blood needs,” he added.

World Blood Donor Day is observed annually on June 14 to raise awareness about the need for safe blood and to recognise voluntary donors whose contributions support lifesaving medical care globally.