Dr. (Mrs.) Margaret Aribiyo M.A. Mafe (nee Tayo) was born in Lagos on September 6, 1952, to Pa Dominic Abayomi Tayo (a Barrister, Advocate, and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria) and Mrs. Victoria Sikuola Tayo (neé Green) who was a nurse.
Dr. Mafe’s paternal grandfather was the historical Chief Emmanuel Tayo Adigboluja (erstwhile Agbon of Ijebu-Imusin, former President of Ijebu-Imusin Native Court, and later President of the Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Esure, Ijebu-Imusin), while her paternal grandmother was Madam Anne Sadatu Usibakaiye Tayo (neé Suleiman), who was a trader and a local produce buyer and seller. Dr. Mafe’s maternal grandfather was Engineer Festus Green of Abeokuta, while her maternal grandmother was Madam Joana Rakia Green who hailed from Bida in the present Niger State.
Dr. Mafe started her elementary education at St. Mount Carmel Primary School, Ebute-Metta, Lagos, from 1957 to 1963, during which period she received her First School Leaving Certificate in 1963. From 1964 to 1968, she attended Queens’ College, Lagos, before she moved to Fulham County Girls’ Grammar School, Fulham Cross, London S.W.6, where she passed both the G.C.E O & A Levels between 1968 and 1971. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science (Combined Honours) degree in Biology, Physiology & Pharmacology from the University of Aston, Birmingham, England, between 1974 and 1975 before moving to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, from 1974 to 1975 where she obtained an MSc (Medical Parasitology) degree in 1975. After returning to Nigeria, she completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1982.
She was a Danida Fellow on a four-month certificate course at the Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark in 1981, and a UNDP Fellow on a six-week certificate course for the Community Research and Evaluation Programme, University of Connecticut Health Centre, Farmington, USA. She also attended a course on EPI-INFO, funded by The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1992. In 2002, Dr. Margaret Mafe received fellowships from the Swiss Commission for ‘Research Partnership with Developing Countries’ (KFPE); from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for ‘Global Parasitic Control’ in Tokyo, Japan; and for ‘Leading Strategic Change Course’ at RIPA International, London UK, in 2008.
Dr. Mafe has several professional affiliations where she has held various positions including Member, of the Science Association of Nigeria, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Parasitology and the Public Health Society of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Society for Immunology. She has served variously as Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Health, Ahmadu Bello University Malumfashi Project from March 1976 to 1978; Research Fellow II, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research from April 1979 to December 1980; Research Fellow I, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research from December 1980 to October 1984; and Senior Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research in 1986. From 1984 to 1986, she was appointed as Head, the Public Head Division, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Kainji Outstation, New Bussa, Kwara State.
Dr. Mafe joined NIMR in 1999, rising to the post of Ag Director, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (1988-1989), and Head of the Public Health Division from 1992 to 2005. She served NIMR for 21 years (1987-2014) on different boards and committees. She is presently a member of the Senior Management Committee, NIMR (1987 till date), and a Member, of the Appointment and Promotion Committee (Scientific), NIMR since 1987. She was Chairman, of the Committee on Establishment of NIMR Research Publication: NIMR Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Research from 2002 to 2004; and Chairman, of the Committee on Establishment of NIMR Consult in 2003. She was Chairman of, the NIMR Ad hoc Committee on Formulating Service Charter for NIMR in 2004 and has been a member of the NIMR Research Ethics Committee since 2004, as well as Deputy Editor, of NIMR Journal since 2005.
Dr. Mafe also served as Local Scientific Expert for GTZ/Lafia Primary Health Care Project, Minna, Niger State, from 1998 to 2004. Before holding this position, she was a member of the National Expert Committee on Schistosomiasis Control from 1988 to 2004. Previously, she was an Associate Lecturer, at the Biological Sciences Department, University of Lagos from 1991 to 1992. Subsequent positions include WHO AFRO Consultant for Schistosomiasis from December 2001 to 2005, Focal Person, Research, Department of Health Planning, Research & Statistics, Federal Ministry of Health (August 2006- May 25, 2007); Head, Department of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Federal Ministry of Health and Secretary, National Health Research Ethics Committee (May 25 – May 30, 2007). Starting in 2008, she has been the Director of, the Public Health Division, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, and the Director of Research (Public Health), at NIMR. She is a foundation member and first President of NIMR Cooperative and Thrift Society.
She has supervised numerous PhD students’ post-doctoral projects and has been an assessor of several PhD seminar presentations of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos. During her career, she has delivered more than 15 papers at different scientific, medical, and health forums. She has over 60 journal articles and over 20 monographs, some of which she published in conjunction with others.
She was Chairman, of the Welfare Committee of the Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria; Member of the Editorial Board, of Nigeria Society for Parasitology from 2000 to 2007; Member of the Editorial Board, of the Journal of Zoology, University of Ibadan since 2002; and Member of the Board of Trustees, Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria since 2006. Dr. Mafe has received over 10 grants from different organizations including BLD Laboratories (1980); Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources (1983); WHO/TDR/FMH (1992, 1994); GTZ (2000-2004); and McArthur Foundation (2014). She is happily married to Engr. O. A. T. Mafe.