In 1987, DELES created a new management structure which established two operational Zones - North and South. The most significant organizational change was the setting up of two working Committees, one of which will be responsible for the Northern parts of Nigeria and the other for the South.

The day-to-day coordination of DELES activities will be done for the most part through these two Zonal Committees. The members of the two Committees will together form the National Coordinating Council of DELES. This Council will be the policy-making body, and the employer of the DELES Service Team. The Council will meet only once or twice a year.

The great advantage of the new Coordinating structure is to ensure that work continues in a decentralized way. It allows each of the two regions to have a large measure of autonomy, and greatly reduce the need for members of the Coordinating group to make journeys of over a thousand kilometers to attend planning meetings every few weeks.