Vice-President Kashim Shettima says reforms implemented through the presidential enabling business environment council (PEBEC) have made it easier and less costly to start and run businesses in Nigeria.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Jigawa Investment Summit 2026 in Dutse, the Jigawa capital, Shettima said the federal government has simplified business registration and permit processes through PEBEC and the Business Facilitation Act.
He said the reforms have reduced the cost and time of starting and operating businesses while making government agencies more transparent, predictable and efficient.
“Through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, we have simplified registrations and permits, and brought the cost and time of starting and running a business steadily down,” the vice-president said.
“The Business Facilitation Act has given these reforms the force of law, binding our agencies to transparency, predictability and speed.”
Shettima said the Tinubu administration had also unified and liberalised the foreign exchange (FX) market, ending distortions that discouraged investors and placing public finances on a stronger footing.
He said the reforms are beginning to yield results, citing improved transparency in the FX market, stronger external reserves and upgrades to Nigeria’s sovereign credit rating by international rating agencies.
Shettima said the federal government’s reforms are helping states unlock and deploy resources more efficiently through collaboration at the national economic council (NEC) and the federal executive council (FEC).
Shettima said the Electricity Act of 2023 has also opened the power sector to greater private investment by empowering states to license, generate, and distribute electricity.
He said the federal government has shifted from “gatekeeping to partnership” across key sectors of the economy, including power, agriculture, solid minerals and the digital economy, while redirecting savings from reforms into infrastructure, human capital development, and social interventions.
The vice-presidents urged investors to take advantage of the reforms, assuring that the federal government would continue to support efforts to improve Nigeria’s business environment.
