Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association
September 10, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Nouakchott Declaration: Promoting Organ Donation and Transplantation in Africa.
Haddiya I, Aly AS, El Mehdi A, +32 more, AFRAN Transplant Committee.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
This is a policy declaration (not a research study) summarizing a continent-wide expert consensus framework, the Nouakchott Declaration, aimed at expanding organ donation and transplantation access across Africa.
What was studied
This article describes the development of the Nouakchott Declaration through a Delphi consensus process at the first African Forum on Organ Donation and Transplantation (Nouakchott, Mauritania, May 2025), attended by over 300 experts from 12 countries, aimed at creating a unified strategic framework for transplantation system development in Africa.
Key findings
- According to the cited 2024 Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation report, only 544 kidney transplants were performed across Africa, about 0.5% of global transplant activity.
- These transplants occurred across only 36 transplant centers in Africa, corresponding to roughly one center per 13.2 million inhabitants.
- The resulting Nouakchott Declaration outlines eight core principles addressing governance, public awareness, financing, and regional cooperation for organ transplantation.
- The Declaration integrates recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Declaration of Istanbul, adapted to Africa-specific challenges such as workforce shortages and limited resources.
Clinical relevance
This declaration may help guide policymakers, health systems, and transplant professionals in Africa toward coordinated efforts to expand ethical organ donation and transplantation access, potentially relevant to clinicians involved in transplant program development. It is a consensus policy framework, not a study of clinical outcomes, so it does not itself demonstrate improved patient outcomes.
Who should care
Limitations
Important limitations may not be assessable from the abstract alone, as this is a consensus declaration/policy document rather than a study with its own defined outcomes data.
The Nouakchott Declaration establishes an eight-principle framework, developed through continent-wide expert consensus, to expand and strengthen organ donation and transplantation systems across Africa.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background and hypothesis
Africa faces a growing crisis of end-stage organ failure driven by the rising burden of non-communicable diseases and fragile health systems. Behind these figures are preventable deaths, disrupted families, and widening inequities in access to lifesaving care, an inequity that organ transplantation could address. However, access to transplantation remains extremely limited across the continent. According to the 2024 Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT) report, only 544 kidney transplants were performed in Africa, representing approximately 0.5% of global transplant activity. These procedures occurred in 36 transplant centers, corresponding to roughly one center per 13.2 million inhabitants, illustrating the structural gap in transplantation services.
Methods
This work synthesizes a continent-wide expert initiative. In May 2025, the first African Forum on Organ Donation and Transplantation was held in Nouakchott, Mauritania, bringing together more than 300 experts from 12 countries. A Delphi consensus process was conducted to develop a unified framework addressing transplantation challenges in Africa.
Results
The Delphi process led to the adoption of the Nouakchott Declaration, a strategic framework aimed at accelerating transplantation system development, reducing preventable mortality, and promoting ethical organ donation. The Declaration outlines eight core principles addressing governance, public awareness, financing, and regional cooperation. It integrates recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Declaration of Istanbul, while adapting them to Africa-specific challenges such as workforce shortages and limited resources.
Conclusions
The Nouakchott Declaration provides a structured and context-sensitive roadmap to strengthen organ donation and transplantation systems across Africa. Its implementation could reduce inequities in access to transplantation and improve survival outcomes, while promoting ethical and sustainable healthcare development on the continent.
DOI
10.1093/ndt/gfag209
PMID
42720422
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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