From Local Innovation to Global Impact: How Nigeria’s HIV Framework Is Guiding Eight Countries

By Ugo Aliogo

When Nigeria first piloted the HIV Vertical Transmission Elimination Capability Maturity Model (CMM) tool, few anticipated how far its impact would travel. Today, that same framework is helping governments in Angola, South Sudan, Madagascar, Mali, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines assess and strengthen their national responses to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The CMM is a structured, evidence-based approach used to measure a country’s readiness to eliminate vertical transmission by assessing performance across 26 domains — from testing and treatment coverage to integration of family-planning, hepatitis, and syphilis services. Developed collaboratively under the ICAP at Columbia University and Pediatrics–Adolescent Treatment Africa (PATA) platforms with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the model provides governments with a practical roadmap for continuous health-system improvement.

Dr. Chinyere Eleen Ekanem, Nigeria’s Country Lead for the HIVE Project, was a key member of the expert team that adapted and implemented the model nationally. Working alongside technical colleagues from the Federal Ministry of Health, UNAIDS, WHO, and implementing partners, she coordinated sub-national assessments, validated data, and produced dashboards that have since become templates for other countries.

According to the HIV Coverage, Quality and Impact Network (CQUIN), Nigeria’s experience demonstrated how a well-structured maturity model could accelerate epidemic-control progress and inform donor investments. Following its success, eight additional countries requested technical support to replicate Nigeria’s approach — a rare case of south-to-south learning in global health.

Public-health specialists say the framework’s strength lies in its collaborative nature. “It wasn’t designed in isolation,” Dr. Ekanem explained. “It was built through partnership — with governments, community networks, and frontline providers. Each adaptation reflects local realities while holding every country to shared global standards.”

Through her role in the multi-country rollout, Dr. Ekanem has helped shape technical guidance, train policy teams, and facilitate peer-learning sessions among ministries of health. Her work underscores the growing influence of African experts in designing solutions that resonate far beyond their borders.

As the world races toward the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030, the CMM stands as proof that innovations born in Africa can guide international policy and practice. By turning data into dialogue and collaboration into action, Nigeria’s health leaders — including Dr. Ekanem and her team — have positioned the country at the forefront of one of global health’s most ambitious goals: ensuring that every child is born HIV-free.