Business leaders hail Oduwole’s reappointment to PEBEC

Stakeholders in the business sector have commended President Bola Ahmad Tinubu for appointing Jumoke Oduwole as Special Adviser to the President on Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and Investment, and noted that the appointment signals his commitment to continuity in enhancing the business environment in Nigeria.

The senior lecturer in international law at the University of Lagos, who held the position in the previous administration, is one of the aides whose appointment was announced on Monday.

This time, her portfolio has been expanded with the addition of investment to her duties, which she will continue to discharge in the Office of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima. She will also continue to serve as Secretary of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), which is chaired by the Vice President.

“It shows Mr. President’s adherence to the principle of continuity considering Dr. Oduwole’s excellent performance.” He continued: “PEBEC was one of the shining lights of the previous administration. We all saw how active the Council was in addressing issues contraining business and investment in this country,” Mohammed Abdulahi, a Kano based investor said.

For Herbert Ibekwe, an importer, relevant agencies have become more up and doing under Oduwole’s watch.

“Which investors wants to be trapped in bureaucracies in your country when other countries are offering a variety of incentives?” he asked, say: “They will go to neighbouring countries, and your country’s economy would be the worse for it,” he said.

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During her tenure, Nigeria moved up an unprecedented 39 places in the World Bank’s Doing Business rankings and was twice recognized as a top ten reformed economy in three years. This led to Nigeria significantly improving its position on the global enabling business Environment index over the past eight years. PEBEC during the period also introduced innovative ideas that spurred states and other subnational entities improved their performances to make the Nigerian environment more business-friendly for local and local investors.

Evidence of Oduwole’s international acceptance of her performance was her appointment as a Senior Fellow at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, USA. In 2022, she was invited to serve as a Governance Advisor to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Gov/Lab Governance Innovation Initiative based on her proven track record as a champion of innovation in governance.

Oduwole holds an LL. B from University of Lagos, following which she was called to the Nigeria Bar; an LL.M from Cambridge University; a JSM and JSD both from Stanford Law School. In 2013, she was appointed holder of the Prince Claus Chair, a Visiting Professorship in Development and Equity in honour of the late Prince Claus of The Netherlands. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS), an Africa-wide think tank on governance and economic development. In addition, she is a member of the 6th cohort of the Africa Leadership Institute, West Africa (ALIWA), part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN), a 2013 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow, and a member of the inaugural set of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s “Amujae Initiative” for African women leaders with high potential.

To demonstrate her commitment to her country, Oduwole returned from her Harvard enagement to take on this position to continue with the good work of enhancing business environment and promoting investments.