The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) says it is working to integrate digital platforms across government agencies to eliminate duplication and simplify regulatory processes for businesses.
The director-general of PEBEC, Zahrah Audu, said this on Friday in Abuja.
Ms Audu stated that although many agencies had digitised their services, businesses still had to submit the same information repeatedly to different government institutions.
She said the council was collaborating with relevant government agencies responsible for digital integration to develop a seamless system that would enable information sharing across institutions.
“Many MDAs have digitalised their services, but they are digitalising in silos. Businesses still provide the same information to multiple agencies.
“We are working towards an integrated system where businesses submit information once and authorised agencies can access it, thereby reducing duplication and improving efficiency.
“The initiative forms part of PEBEC’s broader strategy to improve Nigeria’s business environment and enhance investors’ experience,” she said.
She said the council’s objective was to ensure that businesses spent less time complying with regulations and more time focusing on productive activities.
Ms Audu also said PEBEC had intensified engagement with state governments through its subnational ease of doing business tour to encourage reforms at the state level.
She said the council had visited most states to strengthen subnational ease-of-doing-business councils and promote the adoption of best regulatory practices.
According to her, PEBEC is also supporting states through the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) Programme implemented in partnership with the World Bank.
She said the programme provided performance-based financing to states implementing agreed business environment reforms.
Speaking on policy consistency, Ms Audu said PEBEC had strengthened the implementation of the Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) framework to ensure that government agencies consulted stakeholders before introducing new regulations.
She said agencies were now required to assess the costs and benefits of proposed policies and engage affected stakeholders before implementation.
The PEBEC boss cited the transition from the visa-on-arrival system to the electronic visa (e-Visa) platform as an example of how concerns raised over proposed policy changes could be resolved through dialogue.
She also defended ongoing economic reforms, including exchange rate liberalisation and tax reforms, saying they were improving policy predictability and creating a more stable environment for businesses.
“Businesses value consistency and the ability to plan more than artificial market distortions,” she said.
Ms Audu expressed optimism that continued collaboration among federal and state institutions would further improve Nigeria’s ease-of-doing-business ranking and strengthen investor confidence.
She said the council would continue to monitor reforms ahead of the release of the 2026 business facilitation act compliance report in November.
(NAN)
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