NEDC Intensifies Institutional Reforms, Targets Better Development Delivery
Ali Mohammed Zanna, Maiduguri
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has intensified efforts to strengthen its institutional systems and improve development delivery across the North-East.
The Commission disclosed this at the ongoing 2026 NEDC Excellence Forum, which commenced on September 14 and will end on September 16, 2026, at the Borno State Hotel, Maiduguri.
The three-day forum brings together staff from the Commission’s headquarters and state offices at Levels 6–13 to strengthen the practical application of quality, accountability, integrity, collaboration and improved service delivery.
The forum follows the Commission’s certification to five International Organization for Standardization (ISO) management system standards covering Quality Management, Environmental Management, Occupational Health and Safety, Anti-Bribery Management and Sustainable Development in Communities.
Speaking on the significance of the forum, NEDC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Goni Alkali, said the value of the ISO certifications would ultimately depend on how they translate into improved work processes and better service to the people of the North-East.
He said the Commission was now focused on moving from obtaining international standards to ensuring that the standards become part of its everyday operations.
“For us, excellence must ultimately be measured by the quality of development we deliver to the people of the North-East. Our ISO certifications established important standards, but the real work is ensuring that those standards are reflected in how we work, how we serve and how we deliver,” Alkali said.
Unlike a conventional workshop centred mainly on presentations, the forum features practical exercises, simulations, collaborative problem-solving and workplace situations designed to strengthen teamwork and institutional performance.
The Commission said its ability to deliver roads, schools, healthcare facilities, water projects, livelihood interventions and other development programmes also depends on the strength of the institution responsible for implementing them.
It therefore identified investment in staff capacity, stronger internal systems, responsible resource management and accountability as key components of its wider development mandate.
The Commission said the forum was designed to ensure that the standards adopted through its ISO certifications do not remain certification requirements but become embedded in the way staff work and the way programmes are delivered.
NEDC explained that institutional excellence remains a continuous process requiring implementation, review and improvement.
It added that the ultimate objective was to strengthen the Commission’s capacity to deliver more effective, accountable and sustainable development outcomes for communities across the North-East.
