The North East Development Commission says more than 60 percent of road infrastructure and bridges destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgency in the region are now functional, as the agency moves from its stabilization phase into renewal and expansion.

Managing Director Mohammed Alkali told a press conference in Abuja that the commission has delivered more than 300 kilometers of roads and over 50 bridges across the six North East states, restoring transport corridors and improving access to education, healthcare and trade. He detailed major projects across Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states, including reconstruction of key roads and bridges damaged by conflict and flooding, crediting the interventions with strengthening regional connectivity and climate resilience.

Alkali disclosed that the commission’s governing board has approved a 100 billion naira investment to deploy 50 megawatts of renewable energy through solar mini-grids, building on the success of its Light Up the North East project, which has already installed more than 100,000 solar powered street lights across the region. He said the investment reflects the region’s severe electricity access gap, noting that while Nigeria’s national electrification rate stands at about 58 percent, only 39 percent of the North East’s population has access to electricity, a shortfall he said continues to limit industrial growth, healthcare access and private investment in the region.