Market News

…holds retreat for managers

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has commenced a management retreat for its senior management officers to ensure the seamless delivery of strategic projects worth over 1.5 billion naira, slated for implementation in the coming months.

The Managing Director/CEO of the Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, said the retreat was imperative to ensure the seamless delivery of projects outlined in the Commission’s Master Plan for the development of the North-East region.

According to him, the retreat would give the Commission’s leadership an opportunity to reflect on its ISO journey, strengthen executive ownership of the Integrated Management System (IMS), and align strategic priorities to sustain institutional performance, accountability, and organisational excellence.

The Managing Director said the Commission started its journey seven years ago with just a handful of staff, without a Company Secretary and even an Accountant. Due to the diligence and perseverance of the pioneer Management, the NEDC has been able to win five international certifications through impactful projects worth several billions of naira in the North East.

Alhaji Alkali, who made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the two-day NEDC ISO Executive Retreat, held at Onomo Allure Hotel, Abuja, said one of the projects to be executed within the next three weeks is the North East Commission’s 50 megawatt electricity mini-grids, capable of changing the narrative of the region, especially for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMES).

Highlighting the significance of the Retreat, Alkali said the Commission would, within the next few weeks, begin implementing the 800 million naira road networks, which would cover parts of the six states in the North East.

He said the project would ease transportation challenges, promote trade and investment, and enhance the movement of agricultural produce from rural areas to urban areas and markets.

He said the e-vehicle projects, which would cost about 200 million naira, were among the projects to be supervised by the managers, who are expected to ensure they are delivered according to specifications and international standards.

He expressed the Commission’s commitment to continuous improvement, effective governance, and international best practices, saying the retreat in Maiduguri, Borno State, focused on staff members at levels 6 and 13, while the Abuja retreat focused on levels 14 to 17.

Alkali said, “The North East Development Commission is holding this retreat to bring together senior management to strengthen leadership ownership of the Commission’s Integrated Management System and its application to programme delivery.

“NEDC has achieved certification to five ISO management system standards. The focus has moved beyond certification to ensuring that the standards are embedded in how the institution is led, how decisions are taken, how risks are managed and how programmes are delivered. The Maiduguri Excellence Forum began this process at staff level; the Executive Retreat now places responsibility firmly at management level.

“The North-East Master Plan defines what the Commission must deliver. The Commission’s management systems strengthen delivery through effective planning, accountability, risk management, coordination, performance monitoring and continuous improvement.”

In her remarks, the NEDC’s Head of Governance, Compliance and Service Reforms, Hajiya Fatima Dalhatu, said it had become imperative for managers to be intentional about how projects are delivered, “so that we would be able to improve on our delivery”.

“We need to add value to what we already have… and sustain the legacy of the pioneer leaders of the Commission, bearing in mind that strong institutions are fundamental to sustainable development.

“Roads, schools, health facilities, water, livelihoods, mobility, energy and other interventions depend not only on investment, but also on the systems through which those investments are planned, managed, monitored and sustained. Better management should ultimately result in better development outcomes for the people of the North-East,” Hajiya Dalhatu said.