Illegal organ trafficking is growing across Africa

Illegal organ trafficking is growing across Africa. The sophisticated operation is worth over $1 billion annually and targets the vulnerable. Lack of regulation and huge demand for organs drive the trade. The rising trade of human organs “has reached an epidemic level, yet it is receiving much of public silence,” Nigerian human rights lawyer Frank Tietie told DW. “You one would have expected the level of public condemnation against it would have been much higher, but that’s not the case.” A report by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington, DC-based think tank focused on corruption, illicit trade and money laundering, estimated that between $840 million and $1.7 billion (€755 million and €1.5 billion) is generated annually from trafficking in persons for organ removal. Organ donation and transplantation are well-established medical practices that are important for sustaining patients with failing organs. The procedures can be highly successful when conducted with informed consent and transparency. But there are concerns that often organ donation “is driven mainly by poverty rather than the noble motivation of trying to save a life or trying to help any person’s medical condition,” Tietie told DW. (DW)