
About the Coalition of Blood for Africa
Working Towards a Better Tomorrow
Here at CoBA, we see the value in everyone. We want to be a catalyst for positive change, and since our beginnings in 2020, we’ve been driven by the same ideas we initially founded our organization upon support, empowerment, and progress. Learn more about our mission, our vision, and how we go about making the changes we want to see.
Blood is an indispensable component of any health care system in the world. The World Health Organization includes blood and blood components on its essential medicine list but very few countries across the African continent have prioritized blood supply in policy and health discussions. Globally, the demand for blood has outweighed its supply and the challenge is even greater in sub-Saharan Africa where access to the safe, adequate blood supply is low.
The highest proportion of blood in Africa is transfused to children with severe anemia resulting from malaria and malnutrition, followed by women with pregnancy-related bleeding and people injured in traffic accidents. All too often, blood is not available to meet these needs.
In 2019, Terumo Cell and Blood Technologies led a series of high-level discussions on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to explore solutions to blood safety and maternal health issues in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). One of the outcomes was the formation of a working group to drive the agenda for adequate, safe, sustainable blood in SSA now referred to as the Coalition of Blood for Africa (CoBA).
CoBA was launched in 2020 with the goal of finding solutions to the perennial challenges of blood in the continent. The coalition brings together an unprecedented array of health experts, including public-sector research institutes, ministries of health, academia, not-for-profit research and development organizations, NGOs, international organizations, and private sector organizations all committed to one goal: access to safe, sustainable blood in Africa.
At CoBA, we want to be a catalyst for change. We can achieve this only when stakeholders come together to find solutions through dialogue, advocacy, research, and technical support.