The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) says it will sustain its International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification while strengthening its processes and improving service delivery.
The commission’s Director-General, Malam Mohammed Alkali, stated this in Abuja at the NEDC ISO 2026 Executive Retreat.
Alkali said the commission, which had been operating for more than seven years, needed to regularly review and rebuild its processes to enhance efficiency.
He said the retreat brought together senior management staff to assess the commission’s operations, identify areas for improvement and develop strategies for moving the organisation forward.
“ISO gave us the signature that we are doing well, meaning we have done something right and we are satisfied.
“By implication, we have to now keep that standard and improve on it. And that is what we want to do going forward,” he said.
The NEDC boss urged participants to engage in constructive discussions and develop practical ideas that would strengthen the commission and improve the implementation of its projects and programmes.
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The Acting Head of Governance and Compliance Service Reform Unit, Ms Fatima Dalhatu, said the commission would continue to uphold ISO standards until they became embedded in its organisational culture.
Dalhatu said ISO principles should be integrated into the commission’s daily operations rather than treated as a separate requirement.
“The certification was just a milestone for NEDC, but the destination is a culture where quality, accountability, integrity, safety and sustainability become simply how we do things,” she said.
Ms Kadija Mongonu of the Strategic Communication Unit described the retreat as timely, saying the commission had achieved five globally recognised ISO certifications.
She said NEDC was moving from a phase of transition and expansion towards sustainable development in line with its master plan.
Mongonu said the shift would ensure that the commission’s projects, programmes and schemes were developed and implemented sustainably.
Mr Ali Usman, Head of Special Projects, Operations Directorate, said the retreat was important as the commission worked to implement projects under its master plan.
Usman said the plan comprised 11 pillars and four overlapping phases, with its programmes and projects designed to benefit people across the North-East.
He stressed the need for the commission to deliver its projects effectively while taking environmental and climate change concerns into account.
Participants at the retreat were drawn from the six states of the North-East geopolitical zone.
