Developing a Biomedical Engineering Technologist Competency Framework for State Hospital Management Boards in North West Nigeria

State Hospital Management Boards in North West Nigeria deploy biomedical engineering technologists across secondary and primary health facilities, but the absence of a standardized competency framework results in inconsistent technical performance, misaligned training, and inadequate workforce planning. This study develops a competency framework for biomedical engineering technologists employed by State Hospital Management Boards in the North West zone, covering Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Jigawa states. The framework development process included a job task analysis survey administered to one hundred and twenty practising biomedical technologists across the zone, structured focus group discussions with technical supervisors, benchmarking against the Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET) competency domains, and expert validation by a panel of senior biomedical engineers from the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria and the Clinical Engineering Association of Nigeria. The resulting framework identifies five core competency domains: equipment inspection and preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance and fault finding, equipment management administration, safety and risk management, and professional practice. For each domain, specific competency units and performance criteria are defined at foundational, intermediate, and advanced levels corresponding to technologist career progression stages. A competency assessment instrument was developed and piloted with thirty technologists in Kano and Kaduna states, demonstrating satisfactory content validity and inter-rater reliability. The framework provides a basis for restructuring in-service training, performance appraisal, and career development systems for biomedical technologists across the North West zone. Keywords: competency framework, biomedical technologist, State Hospital Management Board, North West Nigeria, workforce development.