Abstract
Human capital development is essential for rebuilding lives and communities after conflict, particularly where violence has damaged education, healthcare, and livelihoods. This study examines the role of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in promoting human capital development in conflict-affected communities of Borno State, Nigeria. The study is guided jointly by Human Capital Theory, the Capability Approach, and Development Administration Theory, used to interpret how NEDC's development activities relate to education, health, and livelihood outcomes. A qualitative documentary research design was used, drawing on NEDC reports, government publications, records from international organisations, academic literature, and statistical databases published between 2017 and 2026. Documents were analysed using thematic content analysis, with themes generated around educational development, healthcare, skills and livelihoods, and implementation challenges. The findings show that the NEDC has undertaken substantial activities in education (school renovation and construction, teacher training, scholarships) and healthcare (facility rehabilitation, equipment provision, health-worker training), and has implemented skills-acquisition and livelihood programmes for youths. However, the documentary evidence available demonstrates programme outputs and activities more consistently than it demonstrates measurable improvements in learning, health, or income, and the study identifies persistent insecurity, limited funding, weak monitoring and evaluation, and coordination challenges as constraints on effectiveness. The study concludes that the NEDC has played a substantial role in resourcing human capital recovery in Borno State, but that stronger institutional capacity, improved monitoring systems, and more rigorous outcome evidence are needed before its impact on human capital can be confidently established. The paper contributes to the documentary evidence base on post-conflict development commissions in Nigeria and highlights the outputs outcomes gap common to programme evaluation in fragile settings.