The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has announced significant progress in its efforts to improve Nigeria’s business climate, revealing that 98 per cent of the 69 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) under its supervision are now responsive to inquiries and delivering services within established timelines.
Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja, the director-general of PEBEC, Dr. Zahrah Mustapha Audu, said the achievement followed the successful implementation of the 90-day Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator (BEEPA), designed to strengthen efficiency, transparency and accountability across business-facing government agencies.
She explained that the programme was introduced after gaps identified in the 2025 Business Facilitation Act Compliance Report, which was unveiled by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chairman of PEBEC, in November 2025.
According to her, the council’s mandate goes beyond identifying deficiencies, as it provides technical support to agencies to improve service delivery rather than merely ranking or criticizing them.
“PEBEC is not a name-and-shame organisation. Our responsibility is to identify challenges affecting the business environment and work with MDAs to resolve them through technical assistance and reforms,” she said.
Audu stated that the accelerator programme focused on ensuring compliance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs), improving transparency, simplifying government procedures, digitising public services and strengthening Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA).
She described Regulatory Impact Analysis as one of PEBEC’s most significant reforms, noting that it would prevent arbitrary policy changes by government institutions at both federal and state levels.
According to her, agencies will no longer be able to introduce new regulations or alter fees without conducting stakeholder consultations and assessing the likely impact of such decisions.
She cited a recent proposal by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to review some of its service charges, explaining that such changes must first undergo the Regulatory Impact Analysis process before implementation.
“We now have a framework that ensures policies are not changed arbitrarily. Every policy adjustment must pass through Regulatory Impact Analysis, involve stakeholder consultations and justify its impact before implementation,” she said.
The PEBEC boss noted that the reforms have also addressed long-standing issues of poor communication by government agencies.
She said PEBEC conducted “mystery shopping” exercises, where officials anonymously interacted with agencies as ordinary citizens to evaluate service delivery, responsiveness to emails and phone calls, and compliance with published service timelines.
According to her, the exercise will continue throughout the year ahead of the release of the 2026 Business Facilitation Act Compliance Report in November.
Audu disclosed that the Nigerian Customs Service emerged as one of the best-performing agencies, completing all required reforms while further reducing processing timelines and simplifying procedures for importers and exporters.
Other agencies recognised for outstanding performance include the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Pension Commission (PenCom), all of which met 100 per cent of the programme’s performance indicators and introduced additional measures to improve service delivery.
She, however, acknowledged that some agencies still require further reforms, particularly the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), which she said continues to receive numerous complaints from the public, especially regarding digital advertising regulation.
“Overall, we are satisfied with the progress recorded, but there is still work to be done. We will continue engaging agencies to ensure these reforms become institutionalised and part of the culture of public service,” she said.
Audu also highlighted PEBEC’s ongoing nationwide sub-national engagement, revealing that the council has visited almost all the 36 states to promote business environment reforms at the state level.
She explained that the state-level engagement focuses on four key areas: implementation of Regulatory Impact Analysis, harmonisation of taxes and levies, digitisation of government services, and improving access to justice through Small Claims Courts and Commercial Courts.
According to her, harmonising taxes and levies is aimed at eliminating multiple taxation and reducing the burden on businesses, while commercial courts will expand access to speedy dispute resolution beyond the existing Small Claims Courts.
She further said PEBEC is encouraging states to establish stronger investment promotion and investment aftercare mechanisms to attract and retain both domestic and foreign investors.
Looking ahead, Audu identified digital integration across government agencies as one of PEBEC’s next major priorities.
She observed that although many agencies have digitised their services, businesses are still required to submit the same information repeatedly to different institutions.
“We are now looking beyond digitisation in silos. Our goal is to integrate government platforms so that businesses provide information once, while authorised agencies can securely access it without unnecessary duplication,” she said.
On tax reforms, Audu commended the Federal Government for introducing what she described as one of the most progressive tax systems in West Africa, adding that several states have already begun domesticating the new tax framework.
She expressed optimism that more states would adopt the reforms before the end of the year, leading to a more predictable and business-friendly tax environment.
Addressing concerns over insecurity, Audu acknowledged that security challenges exist but argued that public perception often exaggerates the situation.
Drawing from her recent visits to several states during PEBEC’s sub-national tour, she said many parts of the country remain peaceful and conducive for business activities.
She urged the media to report security issues responsibly to avoid creating the impression that the entire country is unsafe, stressing that balanced reporting would support investor confidence while ongoing efforts to improve security continue
