The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has organised a three-day workshop for staff from the six states of the North-East to strengthen institutional excellence and improve service delivery across the region.
Speaking during the NEDC Excellence Forum 2026 in Maiduguri, the Managing Director of the Commission, Mohammed Goni Alkali, said the forum was focused on strengthening the systems, people and processes supporting the delivery of the NEDC’s mandate.
Alkali explained that the forum, which runs from 14 to 16 September 2026, brought together staff from the Commission’s headquarters and state offices to examine how quality, accountability, integrity and improved service delivery could be better reflected in its daily operations.
He disclosed that the forum followed the NEDC’s certification to five ISO management system standards covering Quality Management, Environmental Management, Occupational Health and Safety, Anti-Bribery Management and Sustainable Development in Communities.
“For the Commission, the focus is now on what comes after certification. The value of the standards will ultimately be determined by how they improve the Commission’s work and its service to the people of the North-East,” Alkali stressed.
He emphasised that excellence must ultimately be measured by the quality of development delivered to the people.
“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,” he maintained.
Alkali explained that moving from standards to practice was central to the 2026 Excellence Forum, noting that participants would engage in practical exercises, simulations and workplace situations designed to improve collaboration, problem-solving and service delivery.
He observed that the Commission’s delivery of roads, schools, healthcare, water and livelihood programmes also depended on the strength of its institutions.
“Building capable people, improving internal systems and strengthening accountability are therefore an important part of the NEDC’s wider development mandate,” he stressed.
According to Alkali, the forum was designed to make the standards part of the Commission’s organisational culture rather than merely certification requirements.
“Ultimately, the aim is simple: a stronger NEDC that delivers better outcomes for the people of the North-East,” he said.
In her welcome address, the Acting Head of the Governance, Compliance and Service Reform Unit, Fatuma Dalhatu, said the training would improve staff capacity and reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to institutional excellence.
Participants from Bauchi and Taraba, Muhammed Aliyu Kaigama and Blessing John, welcomed the training, saying it would strengthen their capacity and improve performance.
The workshop, themed “NEDC Excellence Forum 2026”, brought together staff from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states.
It was expected to strengthen participants’ knowledge, skills and teamwork towards building a high-performing institution capable of supporting sustainable development across the North-East.
