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The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) is set to convene its maiden North Central Stakeholders’ Development Summit from September 14 to 15, 2026, in Abuja, where it will unveil a proposed 20-year economic, infrastructural and social development blueprint for the region.
The two-day summit, themed “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region,” will hold at the Abuja Continental Hotel, formerly Sheraton Hotel, beginning daily at 10 a.m.
The summit is expected to bring together political leaders, government institutions, traditional rulers, technocrats, private sector players, youth and women groups, persons with disabilities, development partners and other stakeholders to deliberate on the region’s development priorities.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to attend as Distinguished Guest of Honour, while Vice President Kashim Shettima will serve as Special Guest.
Former Heads of State, Generals Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, are also expected to attend as Fathers of the Day.
Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Ndatsu Umaru (rtd.), former Military Governor of Kano and Kwara States, will chair the occasion, while Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, will serve as Chief Host.
Sule is expected to lead the governors of the six other North Central states and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to the summit.
The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Iorwuese Hagher, a renowned academic, diplomat, politician and administrator, who will lead discussions on the need for a coordinated and sustainable long-term development strategy for the region.
Speaking ahead of the summit, NCDC Chairman, Barr. Cosmas Akighir, Ph.D., said the event would provide a strategic platform for stakeholders to examine the challenges and opportunities confronting the region and collectively chart a new course for its transformation.
He said the summit would seek to develop a shared vision and actionable framework involving government, the private sector, development partners, academia and civil society for the sustainable development of the North Central geopolitical zone.
The Managing Director and CEO of the NCDC, Dr. Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, said the summit was deliberately convened to galvanise strategic stakeholders within and outside the region towards actualising the mandate of the Commission.
Tsenyil added that the summit would align the region’s development priorities with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration while creating opportunities for partnerships, investments and interventions aimed at accelerating economic growth and improving the quality of life of residents.
He stressed that government alone could not transform the region, calling for stronger collaboration among governments at all levels, the private sector, development partners, communities and other stakeholders.
Chairman of the Summit Steering Committee, Alhaji Suleiman Baba Ali, said the Commission was working with its technical partner, Phillips Consulting, to ensure the summit delivers meaningful outcomes.
Day two of the summit will feature panel discussions, technical and breakout sessions, side meetings and other strategic engagements, with the event expected to produce broad stakeholder consensus and concrete recommendations for the formulation and implementation of the 20-year development blueprint.
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