Low- and middle-income countries have consistently struggled to meet blood donation requirements compared to their high-income counterparts. While high-income nations meet most of their blood needs through voluntary donation, Africa continues to face severe shortages, with only about five percent of its population donating blood. Maternal mortality remains devastatingly high, with the continent accounting for nearly70 percent of global maternal deaths.
Earlier this year, in June, World Blood Donor Day was commemorated across the globe. This important day raises awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products, while also celebrating voluntary, unpaid donors for their life-saving contributions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a blood service that provides patients with safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantities is a key component of an effective health system.
This understanding informed the partnership between eHealth Africa, Sirat Al-Mustaqeem, and Bayero University Kano to host a major blood donation drive. The event not only raised awareness about the lifesaving importance of blood donation but also introduced participants to a digital blood information system designed to make the entire process seamless and efficient.
During the blood donation drive at Bayero University Kano, eHealth Africa deployed its mobile, user-friendly digital application that allows individuals to easily schedule blood donation appointments at their convenience. The Blood Information System for Crisis Intervention and Management (BISKIT) App provides real-time access to available donation centers, dates, and time slots—empowering donors to plan ahead and integrate blood donation into their personal schedules.
BISKIT was seamlessly integrated into the donation process, managing donor registration digitally and ensuring a smooth, organized experience for all participants. This not only enhanced the donor journey but also demonstrated the vital role technology plays in strengthening healthcare systems. “People want to donate,” said Oscar Kalu, a Research Assistant at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, where BISKIT is currently being piloted. “They just need a system that respects their time and gives them confidence. BISKIT does both.”
According to Oscar, BISKIT eliminates inconsistent paper records that are slow to retrieve, prone to delays, and at risk of loss. “This wasn’t just another awareness campaign; it was a digital shift in blood information management,” he said. With a few simple steps, donors could register, book appointments, access their digital donor card, and later track their donation history—an innovation he believes could finally close the dangerous gaps in Africa’s blood management system.
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A supply chain management expert with eHealth Africa, Mohammed Faosy-Adeniran, reinforced this viewpoint, explaining that BISKIT was built to address preventable causes of death. “If a health facility cannot trace blood—from who donated it to who handled it—we cannot guarantee safety, and we cannot save lives,” he said.
He recalled mothers who died from postpartum hemorrhage because blood was unavailable, children with sickle cell disease whose crises became fatal due to delays, and accident victims who never received transfusions in time. Mohammed, who led the BISKIT pilot implementation with AKTH, believes that if every donated unit can be tracked, stored correctly, tested promptly, and delivered safely, the entire system becomes stronger.
With BISKIT, every donor, every test, every storage stage, and every transfusion is recorded digitally. Within seconds, a health worker can view the complete journey of a single blood unit. They can generate instant reports, track progress, and trace issues immediately. Most importantly, they can ensure the blood reaching a patient is safe, timely, and fully accounted for.
The potential to scale BISKIT across more primary healthcare facilities remains promising.
According to Project Manager Darlington Okoye, the application has already transformed the blood services workflow by digitizing over 6,000 donor records in 2025 alone, ensuring data is accurate, accessible, and secure. BISKIT also certified 5,300 donors as fit to donate, significantly strengthening the safe donor pool. “More than 500 successful blood transfusions were tracked electronically, enabling faster emergency response through instant access to donor and recipient records,” Okoye added, noting that automated compatibility checks have drastically reduced the risk of mismatched transfusions.
BISKIT is more than an app. It is a revolution in how Africa approaches blood safety. It is a bridge between donors and the people whose lives depend on them. It is a digital lifeline that connects people, systems, and hope, proving that when technology and compassion work together, lives are not just touched, they are saved.
Moshood Isah is a Communications Coordinator at eHealth Africa.
