The Company Secretary of leading engineering construction firm Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mrs. Cecilia Ekanem Madueke, has called for stronger stakeholder coordination, early engagement, proactive risk management and closer collaboration between government, communities and the private sector to improve Nigeria’s ease of doing business and accelerate infrastructure delivery.
Madueke made the call at the just-concluded two-day summit organised by the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), themed Leveraging Reforms and ESG for Enterprise Competitiveness and Inclusive National Growth. The event brought together employers, policymakers, business leaders and industry experts to explore how regulatory reforms and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles can strengthen Nigeria’s business environment.
Speaking during Plenary 4 on the summit’s second day, where she discussed Enhancing Ease of Doing Business and Addressing Regulatory Overlap: Deepening Private Sector Collaboration for Sustained Outcomes, Madueke stressed that successful infrastructure delivery depends on early stakeholder alignment and effective coordination across all levels of government.
She noted that infrastructure projects operate within a complex ecosystem involving the Federal Government, state governments, local councils, regulatory agencies, host communities and private investors.
“We have the national, the sub-national and the local levels. We are dealing with different stakeholders, and it is a complex ecosystem. Coordinating these interests is essential if we are to successfully deliver infrastructure,” she said.
According to her, project approvals often extend beyond regulatory agencies, with every level of government and host communities playing critical roles in determining project timelines and outcomes.
Madueke recalled an experience during a road infrastructure project in Nigeria’s South-South region, where the relocation of a community shrine became a major challenge that required extensive dialogue and consensus among stakeholders.
She explained that such situations demonstrate that infrastructure development is not driven solely by engineering expertise or funding but also by trust, collaboration and sustained community engagement.
“If you do not have the right relationships on the ground and the capacity to engage communities effectively, you will struggle to move projects forward,” she said.
Madueke urged project developers and government institutions to identify potential risks at the planning stage rather than waiting until construction begins.
“We need to identify the risks from the very beginning, understand the issues, determine who should drive each process and ensure everyone is aligned before projects commence. That is how we minimise delays and improve project outcomes,” she added.
She further described improving the ease of doing business as a shared responsibility, insisting that government, the private sector and host communities must work together to create a predictable investment climate and ensure sustainable infrastructure development.
Madueke concluded by advocating stronger institutional coordination, continuous stakeholder engagement and greater alignment among all parties involved as critical factors for delivering infrastructure projects efficiently.
Meanwhile, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc’s exhibition stand attracted significant interest from business executives, employers, industry stakeholders and conference participants, who engaged the company’s representatives on its nationwide operations and contributions to infrastructure development.
Many visitors praised Julius Berger for delivering major roads, bridges, buildings and other critical infrastructure projects that continue to support Nigeria’s economic growth, while discussions also focused on emerging opportunities and trends within the construction sector.
