Abuja: The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has announced that reforms introduced by the Federal Government are targeting a seven-day cargo clearance and a 72-hour resolution of business complaints in an effort to enhance Nigeria’s investment climate. Director-General of PEBEC, Mrs. Zahrah Audu, revealed these plans on Tuesday at the State House ‘Meet the Press’ briefing, where she highlighted the achievements recorded since January 2025.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mrs. Audu explained that the reforms are designed to unlock private sector investment, create jobs, and support President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a one-trillion dollar economy. “Since January 2025, our focus has been clear, to move from policy to measurable implementation,” she stated, emphasizing that reforms are only meaningful when businesses and citizens experience them in their daily interactions with the government.
Mrs. Audu further noted that the implementation of the Business Facilitation Act has bolstered transparency, service standards, and timelines across 69 business-facing ministries, departments, and agencies. She mentioned that Nigeria has adopted the Nigerian Regulatory Impact Analysis Framework to ensure regulations are based on evidence rather than arbitrary decisions. “We no longer have a situation where heads of ministries, departments or agencies wake up one morning and come up with a policy without ample stakeholders’ engagement,” she added.
The Director-General also highlighted the revamped ReportGov platform, which now enables businesses to escalate complaints directly to relevant agencies, guaranteeing responses within 72 hours. “Today, all our 69 business-facing MDAs receive complaints in real time. We monitor progress from the backend to ensure accountability and timely resolution,” she said. Physical ReportGov kiosks have also been deployed at major airports and seaports to simplify interactions between businesses and government.
Discussing port reforms, Mrs. Audu stated that PEBEC is coordinating relevant agencies to reduce cargo dwell time from 21 days to seven through joint inspections, deployment of scanners, and the removal of illegal checkpoints. “One of the key things we identified was that our average cargo dwell time was about 21 days, making Nigeria uncompetitive. We have been tasked to reduce that to seven days,” she explained.
She also mentioned that illegal checkpoints along the Apapa and Tin Can ports corridor have been dismantled and will be continuously monitored. “Today, we no longer have illegal checkpoints within the ports corridor in Apapa and Tin Can. We intend to sustain this until it becomes the norm,” Mrs. Audu asserted.
Furthermore, memoranda of understanding between the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC, as well as between the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) and the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), have eliminated duplication of regulatory inspections. Mrs. Audu stated that the council has strengthened engagement with state governments through nationwide tours and peer-learning programs to improve subnational ease of doing business. All states now have Small Claims Courts to provide quicker and cheaper resolution of commercial disputes, with efforts underway to establish specialized commercial courts and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms nationwide.
“PEBEC is not designed to name and shame. PEBEC is there to fix the gaps and address the issues within our business environment,” Mrs. Audu emphasized, adding that the council has also successfully intervened on issues related to the e-visa regime, driver’s license backlog, and financial reporting regulations. She assured investors that abrupt regulatory changes have become a thing of the past, reinforcing that no regulator will introduce regulations without ample stakeholders’ engagement.
Mrs. Audu concluded by stating that the reforms are institutionalizing transparency, accountability, and predictability across the government. “We need a mindset shift from individuals who excel to institutions that work regardless of who is at the helm of affairs. That is what PEBEC is building,” she said.