Nigeria marked World AIDS Day on 1 December 2025 by honouring a leading epidemiologist whose technical work has fundamentally reshaped the country's approach to managing its HIV epidemic. Lateefat Abiodun Mosaku was celebrated for her pivotal role in modernising Nigeria's HIV surveillance system, a critical move for a nation shouldering one of the world's largest HIV burdens.
From Paper to Digital: A Surveillance Revolution
Mosaku's expertise was central to a monumental shift in how Nigeria tracks HIV. She helped drive the transition from outdated, fragmented paper-based reporting to integrated, real-time digital data systems. This technical overhaul now guides HIV responses at both federal and state levels, ensuring decisions are based on timely and accurate information.
Her leadership directly supported the creation of new digital platforms for case reporting. It also strengthened national processes for ensuring data quality and improved the overall reliability of the surveillance information used for epidemic-control planning. These reforms resolved long-standing issues like under-reporting and significant delays, which had previously distorted the accuracy of Nigeria's national HIV estimates.
Impact on the Ground and at the National Level
The practical effects of Mosaku's work are profound. Nigeria's health teams now have a much clearer picture of the epidemic. They can effectively track outcomes from HIV testing, monitor how well patients are linked to care, follow treatment continuity, and measure rates of viral suppression—especially in communities with high HIV prevalence.
This access to more complete and timely data allows national and local teams to identify critical service gaps, channel resources more effectively, and anticipate localised trends that need urgent intervention. At the federal level, Mosaku contributed to redesigning HIV monitoring frameworks, successfully aligning facility records, antiretroviral therapy registers, and national surveillance summaries into a cohesive whole.
Building a Legacy for the Future
Mosaku's influence extends beyond systems to people. Through extensive training programmes she led for health workers and data personnel across the country, Nigeria has significantly expanded its capacity for advanced case surveillance, viral-suppression monitoring, and the early detection of outbreaks. These systems and skills have now been institutionalised by multiple public-health agencies and serve as a model for wider national use.
Her work has also been instrumental in ensuring that Nigeria's HIV response reaches populations often missed by conventional methods. By integrating community-centred approaches with modern data systems, she helped capture better data on adolescents, pregnant women, and other vulnerable groups. Her contributions have reinforced Nigeria's preparedness for future public-health challenges by providing clearer visibility of population-level outcomes and enabling true evidence-based planning across all health partners.
On this World AIDS Day, Mosaku's achievements underscore the vital and growing role of women in digital public health and applied epidemiology. The stronger surveillance backbone she helped build is a key driver in Nigeria's progress toward its epidemic-control targets and the goal of more equitable access to HIV care and treatment for all. Her leadership stands as a powerful reminder of the enduring importance of reliable data and digital innovation in safeguarding national health security.
