Lagos Leads in PEBEC 2025 Competitiveness Report

•Kaduna, Oyo, FCT, Ogun, Enugu, Plateau, Ekiti, Kano, Nasarawa make top 10

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Lagos State has emerged Nigeria’s most competitive business environment in the newly released 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Report published by Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

The state topped the national ranking with an impressive 85.6 per cent, leading Kaduna, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Ogun, which completed the top five.

According to the report, states were assessed across 16 indicators and 36 sub-metrics, covering critical areas, such as electricity reliability, digital connectivity, land administration, taxation processes, trade logistics, justice delivery, skilled-labour availability, and investor support systems.

Enugu, Plateau, Ekiti, Kano, and Nasarawa also placed within the top 10, reflecting what PEBEC described as “a growing but uneven momentum of reforms across Nigeria’s subnational governments”.

PEBEC stated that the leading states stood out for improving digital processes, streamlining business-facing procedures, and sustaining predictable service levels.

Speaking during the release, PEBEC Director-General, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, said this year’s edition underscored the undeniable link between reform commitment and competitiveness.

Audu said, “This year’s results clearly show that when states prioritise transparency, technology, and predictable service delivery, competitiveness improves.

“The data is a tool for reform, not just a record of performance.”

She encouraged states to adopt the report’s five recommended intervention areas, including establishing investor aftercare systems, strengthening MSME credit enablement, harmonising interstate trade rules, upgrading commercial justice processes, and improving power reliability for industrial clusters.

The annual assessment evaluates the readiness of states to attract and support businesses through reforms, infrastructure, administrative efficiency, and regulatory clarity.

Complementing the subnational assessment, PEBEC also released the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance Report, which measures how well Federal Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) complied with statutory obligations designed to enhance service efficiency.

Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) ranked first with a 90.6 per cent score, followed by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at 89.3 per cent, and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at 86.6 per cent.

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) completed the top five with 85.3 per cent and 84.2 per cent, respectively.

Audu commended the top-performing MDAs for demonstrating accountability, reform, and discipline.

“NCDMB, NDLEA, Customs, NCC and NPA have shown what is possible when agencies embrace efficient, transparent, technology-driven systems,” she said.

“Their performance proves that competitiveness is not accidental it is the outcome of deliberate policies and responsible service delivery,” she added.

Audu urged all MDAs to scale up their digital optimisation efforts and respond more effectively to business and citizen enquiries.