The director-general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, says the agency is focused on reducing delays and addressing gaps in emergency preparedness and response in the South-East.

Ms Umar said this on Monday in Enugu at the opening of a two-day Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) Stakeholders’ Engagement Workshop organised by NEMA, the World Bank Group, and the Enugu State government.

Represented by NEMA’s director of planning, research and forecasting, Onimode Bamidele, Ms Umar said the workshop marked the culmination of months of extensive engagement and collaboration.

She noted that across several locations, NEMA had witnessed the impact of innovation, partnership, and local commitment in strengthening emergency preparedness and response capacity at sub-national levels.

Ms Umar said the Enugu gathering reflected both reflection and optimism, as collaboration between NEMA, state emergency management agencies, and the World Bank Group had yielded tangible outcomes.

She added that the progress recorded in the seven pilot states offered a scalable model for strengthening emergency management nationwide.

According to her, Enugu stands as a symbolic conclusion to the project phase, given its strong civic culture and growing commitment to disaster management.

“With the leadership of Dr Peter Mbah, we are confident Enugu will consolidate these gains and drive the resilience agenda across the South-East,” Ms Umar said.

Gov. Peter Mbah commended NEMA for organising the workshop to enhance disaster response at the state, local, and community levels.

Represented by the secretary to the state government, Chidiebere Onyia, Mr Mbah said the state would continue to strengthen the capacity of emergency organisations and responders.

He said disasters mostly occurred in communities, making it vital to train and retrain first responders at grassroots levels.

According to him, the workshop’s outcomes would be cascaded to local councils and communities to guide effective action in safeguarding lives and livelihoods.

“As a government, we are committed to building resilience at all levels of disaster management and response,” he said.

Oluwaseun Olowoporoku, urban specialist at the World Bank, said the bank aimed to develop a robust EP&R plan through broad stakeholder participation.

He said the resulting document would help close gaps in manpower, training, equipment, and legal frameworks to improve response time and coordination.

The workshop drew participants from the Federal Fire Service, NSCDC, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, and Local emergency management committees.

Others included focal persons from Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) units, state ministries of health, environment, and gender and social protection, as well as the media.

(NAN)