PEBEC pushes digital reforms, accountability across states

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has intensified efforts to deepen business environment reforms across Nigeria’s states, with a renewed focus on digitalisation, accountability and restoring public confidence in government initiatives.

Zahrah Audu, director-general of PEBEC, speaking during a Nationwide Town Hall and State Engagement Tour in Benin City, said the council’s second nationwide engagement was designed to strengthen ease-of-doing-business reforms at subnational levels and ensure sustainability across administrations.

Audu said previous reform initiatives often struggled to achieve long-term impact because implementation weakened after leadership transitions in many states, resulting in recurring challenges.

“What we have discovered over time is that many of these initiatives are not sustained, and the same issues continue to emerge across states,” she said.

She explained that the current exercise differs from previous engagements by combining technical sessions for government officials with direct interaction between state governments and private sector stakeholders.

According to her, morning sessions are dedicated to technical capacity building for government officials, while afternoon engagements provide opportunities for businesses to engage governments on reform priorities and service delivery expectations.

Audu said PEBEC aims to ensure reforms already implemented at the federal level are replicated across states to create a more seamless operating environment for businesses nationwide.

She identified rebuilding public trust as a key priority, acknowledging concerns among Nigerians who may view the initiative as a repetition of past programmes.

“We understand that many Nigerians may say these initiatives have been tried before, but that will not stop us from being consistent and delivering results,” she said.

The PEBEC director-general cited the subnational ease-of-doing-business report released in November 2025 as part of measures introduced to improve accountability, noting that states were ranked based on reform performance to encourage action and measurable progress.

She also highlighted digitalisation as a major pillar of the administration’s reform agenda, pointing to agencies such as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Customs and the National Single Window initiative as examples of reforms already being implemented at the federal level.

Also speaking, Omoh Anabor, Edo State commissioner for business, trade and investment, said the state government had introduced policies aimed at strengthening trade and commerce, adding that ongoing reforms align with broader national efforts to improve the business environment.