The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has called for stronger reforms to improve the business environment in Borno State, urging government to remove bottlenecks that hinder investment and entrepreneurship.
PEBEC Director General, Zahrah Audu, made the call on Wednesday at a town hall meeting with private sector operators and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Maiduguri.
The engagement formed part of PEBEC’s nationwide initiative on “State Action on Business Enabling Reforms”, designed to enhance the ease of doing business across Nigeria’s subnational governments.
Represented by Project Manager Aimeya Okpebholo, Audu said Borno State could accelerate economic growth if it adopts more investment-friendly policies that reduce bureaucracy and lower the cost of doing business.
She explained that the programme was organised in collaboration with the Borno State Government to ensure that reform efforts reflect the realities faced by entrepreneurs, particularly in the post-insurgency recovery period.
According to her, key reforms such as faster business registration processes, transparent and predictable tax systems, and improved access to land would play a crucial role in rebuilding and diversifying the state’s economy.
Private sector participants at the meeting, however, raised concerns including multiple taxation, delays in regulatory approvals, and poor infrastructure, which they said continue to limit business expansion in the state.
Audu said, “This programme was organised in conjunction with the Borno State Government. For us at PEBEC, we found it fit to have this second subnational tour at the state level again.
“It is divided into two parts; the first part of this engagement is to meet with some business enabling MDAs at the state level to look at the reforms they have been doing to ease business and what they will need to do.
“The second session is used to create a platform for the organised private sector to meet with the MDAs at the state to express their pain points, and for the government to enlighten the private sector on what they have done and the reforms they have deployed that businesses can take advantage of.”
She added that PEBEC had developed several recommendations for states to adopt in improving the investment climate, including the harmonisation of fees and levies at both state and local government levels, as well as the strengthening of regulatory impact assessments.
“So far, we have brought up some investment-friendly reforms that states can adopt in terms of doing business and we have engaged them on the need for harmonisation of fees and levies at the state and local government level as well as how business ranking is done.
“Lastly, we made them to understand the regulatory impact analysis framework that is already operational at the federal level for states to adopt a similar approach,” Audu added.
She further assured that PEBEC would continue to engage and monitor implementation of reforms across states to ensure compliance and measurable progress.
“After the engagement, we will continue to follow up. We will continue to track and engage with the state to ensure that the issues raised as challenges are addressed.
“At the end of the day, we will have our subnational ranking that will assess the state on how far they have gone in terms of providing an enabling environment for business,” she said.
Earlier, the chairman of the Borno State Investment Promotion Agency (Borno-Invest), Sa’id Kori, commended PEBEC for its continued support toward subnational business reforms.
He said the presence of PEBEC in Maiduguri reflected the federal government’s commitment to improving the ease of doing business, noting that Borno had recorded significant progress under Governor Babagana Umara Zulum.
Kori explained that the state had domesticated key reforms, including the implementation of the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) in partnership with the World Bank, as well as the Business Enabling Reforms Action Plan (BERAP).
He said the overall goal was to reduce the cost and time of doing business, eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, and create a transparent and predictable regulatory environment for investors.
“As Chairman of Borno-Invest, I can assure you that our agency stands ready to work hand-in-hand with PEBEC, the SABER project, and all MDAs to harmonise fees, simplify regulations, and improve the investor experience from entry to exit,” he said.
