By Chimezie Godfrey
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Regional Development, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, has commenced nationwide zonal validation workshops aimed at refining Nigeria’s draft National Regional Development Policy (NRDP) 2026–2030.
The initiative is expected to provide a comprehensive framework for addressing regional disparities, unlocking economic opportunities, and promoting balanced national development across the country.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the Ministry and UNDP disclosed that the zonal workshops would take place across the six geopolitical zones as part of the final nationwide consultation phase before the policy is presented for approval.
According to the statement, the consultations will involve stakeholders from federal and state governments, Regional Development Commissions, local government councils, civil society organisations, academia, traditional institutions, and the private sector.
The statement explained that the proposed policy was developed with technical support from the UNDP and aligned with Nigeria’s Medium-Term National Development Plan, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the African Union Agenda 2063.
Speaking on the initiative, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, described the policy as a strategic national framework for coordinating development efforts across the country’s regions.
According to the statement signed by the Head of Information and Public Relations of the Ministry, Sani Datti, the minister said every Regional Development Commission would be expected to derive its master plan and operational agenda from the policy framework.
Momoh stressed the need for stakeholders to critically engage the policy document to ensure that it becomes robust, inclusive, and implementation-ready.
On her part, the Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria, Elsie G. Attafuah, described the proposed policy as a major shift toward inclusive and people-centred development planning.
According to the joint statement, Attafuah said the initiative would support locally driven growth and strengthen Nigeria’s ability to transform regional diversity into a collective national advantage.
She explained that the policy would be implemented through UNDP’s Integrated Smart States Programme aimed at promoting innovation, trade, digital transformation, sustainable energy, and community-based economic development.
The statement further disclosed that the validation workshops would focus on issues such as growth corridors, financing pathways, governance structures, climate resilience, digital transformation, gender inclusion, and youth development.
According to the schedule released by the organisers, the South-East workshop will hold in Enugu on May 11, while the South-South meeting is scheduled for Port Harcourt on May 13.
The North-Central workshop will take place in Lafia on May 25, while Ibadan, Kano, and Maiduguri will host the South-West, North-West, and North-East consultations on June 3, June 8, and June 10 respectively.
The statement added that the zonal consultations would culminate in a National Consolidation and Final Validation Event in Abuja on June 24, 2026.
According to the organisers, each zonal engagement will produce technical reports and communiqués that will form part of the final policy document to be submitted to the Federal Executive Council for approval.
FG, UNDP Launch Nationwide Consultations on Regional Development Policy
