Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged public officers in various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to leverage the regulatory reforms introduced by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) to strengthen the business environment and ensure effective service delivery in government.
Shettima, who spoke at the PEBEC town hall meeting in Abuja on Friday, stated that the 90-day regulatory reform accelerator programme was an avenue to revamp the nation’s economy, urging all stakeholders, particularly the MDAs, to build its gains with a sense of urgency and purpose.
He called for continued improvement in the nation’s business environment through timely feedback, rigorous monitoring, and shared responsibility.
“No matter the depth of the reforms we introduce, our goals will remain out of reach unless our ministries, departments, and agencies function at their best and align seamlessly with our agenda.
“We must align with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and ensure that our pursuit of a business environment that fosters innovation, creativity, and productivity is built upon the pillars of the 8-point agenda. Today, we stand on a robust foundation, recognising that achieving PEBEC’s mandate directly contributes to our shared economic prosperity as a nation.
“There is no doubt that every thriving economy draws life from the quality of reforms adopted to offer the people avenues to translate their business ideas into formidable enterprises. The PEBEC is an enabler for the MDAs in government. Our role requires a unified and collaborative effort across the council and MDAs, and we cannot afford to look away,” he said.
The reforms include regulatory reforms aimed to improve efficiency and transparency of public service delivery, legislative and judicial reforms to drive review of business facilitation laws to form a new omnibus bill and deliver faster access to justice by decongesting and digitalising courts nationwide.
Others include sub-national ease of doing business reforms aimed to support ease of doing business at sub-national levels, strategic communication reforms for effective and transparent communication of PEBEC’s mandate, work streams and key initiatives.
He noted that the long-term success of PEBEC was hinged on its ability to institutionalise reform capabilities, foster deep collaboration across government, and maintain a commitment to continuous improvements.
Jumoke Oduwole, the special adviser to the president on ease of doing business, noted that while businesses continue to face challenges as a result of ongoing reforms at the macro and micro levels, completing the PEBEC reforms will yield significant improvements in the business climate across Nigeria in 2024 and 2025.
According to her, out of 1, 187 activities across 36 agencies, spanning 14 ministries, 876 were completed.
She noted the critical role of regulatory reforms in driving economic progress by making it more conducive for Nigerians to start and grow their businesses, thus creating a more productive and competitive business environment.
“These reforms are not merely cosmetic. They form a critical part of the PEBEC’s mandate as an enabler for the 8-point Agenda of President Tinubu’s administration, particularly through concrete support to businesses operating in Nigeria.
“Looking ahead to the next half of the year, the PEBEC remains dedicated to furthering these reforms and continuing to address the feedback we have received so far,” she said.
