Lagos tops in PEBEC 2025 Competitiveness report
Lagos State has emerged Nigeria’s most competitive business environment in the newly released 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Report published by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
The state topped the national ranking with an impressive 85.6%, 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 ten, reflecting what the Council described as “a growing but uneven momentum of reforms across Nigeria’s subnational governments.” PEBEC noted 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 underscores the undeniable link between reform commitment and competitiveness.
She 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 immediately 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.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) ranked first with a 90.6% score, followed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at 89.3%, and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at 86.6%.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) completed the top five with 85.3% and 84.2% respectively.
Audu commended the top-performing MDAs for demonstrating accountability and reform 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 urged all MDAs to scale up their digital optimisation efforts and respond more effectively to business and citizen enquiries.
