The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) says 98 per cent of the 69 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) under its monitoring framework now meet prescribed service delivery standards.

The director-general of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Audu, said this on Friday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the council’s mid-term assessment of MDAs’ compliance with the Business Facilitation Act (BFA).

Ms Audu said the assessment revealed significant improvements in responsiveness, transparency and adherence to service delivery timelines by government agencies across the country.

“Between 2025 and 2026, we can boastfully state that 98 per cent of the 69 MDAs that we track are very responsive.

“If you call them, you will get a timely response. If you send an email, they will respond, and in terms of service timelines, they are delivering within prescribed timelines,” she said.

She attributed the progress to the PEBEC’s 90-day business environment enhancement accelerator programme, introduced to address gaps identified in the 2025 business facilitation act compliance report.

According to her, the programme focused on providing technical support to agencies to improve performance rather than adopting a naming-and-shaming approach to enforcement.

“We are here to fix the challenges that plague the business environment.

“When we identify gaps, we work with agencies to provide technical assistance and create solutions that improve ease of doing business,” she said.

Ms Audu said the council also reviewed licensing requirements and administrative procedures to eliminate outdated processes and reduce regulatory burdens on businesses operating in Nigeria.

She explained that agencies were encouraged to streamline documentation requirements by leveraging existing government databases, including the National Identification Number (NIN), to minimise duplication and inefficiencies.

The director-general said the reforms were aimed at making Nigeria’s regulatory environment more competitive and attractive compared with those of neighbouring countries.

She identified the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Pension Commission (PenCom) as the top-performing agencies.

According to Ms Audu, the agencies achieved full compliance with assessment metrics and introduced additional measures to simplify procedures and shorten service delivery timelines.

“They fulfilled 100 per cent of the requirements and went the extra mile to make their services easier for end users,” she said.

She, however, identified the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) as one of the agencies requiring further reforms, particularly in digital advertising regulation.

Ms Audu said the PEBEC had continued to receive complaints from stakeholders and was working closely with the agency to address identified challenges and improve service delivery.

She added that the council would sustain its quarterly “mystery shopping” exercise, which assessed government services from the perspective of ordinary users seeking public services.

According to her, the initiative is designed to ensure sustained compliance with the Business Facilitation Act and institutionalise transparency and accountability across public institutions.

Ms Audu said the final 2026 business facilitation act compliance report would be unveiled in November by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who serves as chairman of the PEBEC.

(NAN)