PEBEC Workshop Pushes States To Drive Business Reforms For Economic Growth

PEBEC has urged states to accelerate reforms, stressing subnational action is key to attracting investment and boosting Nigeria’s economy.

Nigeria’s push to create a more competitive and investment-friendly business environment gained fresh urgency as senior policymakers and economic stakeholders gathered in Abuja for a high-level reform workshop aimed at accelerating subnational action.

At the centre of the engagement was a clear message: meaningful economic transformation in Nigeria will not be driven from the federal level alone. States, participants agreed, must take the lead in dismantling bottlenecks, improving regulatory frameworks, and attracting private capital.

Speaking at the close of the two-day peer learning session, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in the Office of the Vice President, Ibrahim Hadejia, stressed that Nigeria’s economic future hinges on how effectively state governments implement reforms that directly impact businesses.

He noted that while federal initiatives have laid important groundwork, the real test lies in how subnational governments translate policies into tangible improvements for investors and entrepreneurs. According to him, states that fail to act risk being left behind in an increasingly competitive investment landscape.

The workshop, convened under the auspices of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), brought together reform champions from across the country to share experiences, assess progress, and identify practical strategies for improving the ease of doing business at the state level.

Participants examined persistent challenges ranging from bureaucratic delays and inconsistent regulatory enforcement to infrastructure gaps and limited coordination among government agencies. Many agreed that while Nigeria has recorded incremental progress in business reforms over the years, the pace remains uneven across states.

Officials emphasised that investors are no longer persuaded by policy pronouncements alone but by real, measurable improvements—faster approvals, transparent processes, and predictable regulations. In this regard, peer learning was highlighted as a critical tool, allowing states to adopt tested solutions rather than reinventing reform strategies.

States were encouraged to track performance indicators, benchmark against peers, and institutionalise reforms to ensure continuity beyond political cycles.

Beyond policy discussions, the workshop carried a broader economic implication: Nigeria’s ability to diversify its economy and create jobs depends significantly on how conducive its business environment becomes at the grassroots level. With global capital increasingly selective, subnational competitiveness is emerging as a decisive factor in investment decisions.