Towards attaining self-sufficiency in organ transplantation: A comparative study of the Ugandan and Nigerian legal framework

The WHO, the Declaration of Istanbul, the Council of Europe and now the AU has made several calls in previous years for nations to achieve self-sufficiency in the provision of viable organs for organ transplantation in healthcare. To this end, Nigeria enacted the National Health Act to regulate organ transplantation in 2014 and subsequently, on the 30th of May 2023, Uganda passed the Human Organ and Transplant Bill into an Act. This commendable act illustrates Africa’s willingness to attain self-sufficiency in healthcare. Self-sufficiency is attainable both at the national and regional levels. For both countries, self-sufficiency curbs the problems of organ trafficking, transplant tourism and organ trade. This research work highlights the steps Africa is taking to provide viable organs for organ transplantation by comparing the Ugandan Act (East Africa) and the Nigerian Act (West Africa). To achieve its objective of determining self–sufficiency in Africa, the research employs a doctrinal approach. As part of its findings, the research discovers that despite the duplicity of sections in Ugandan Act, Uganda is on track in achieving self-sufficiency in organ transplantation, while Nigeria is not. It recommends that Uganda expand its organ supply by incorporating the opt-out donor system while Nigeria incorporates the opt-in donor system to avoid abuses.