The Federal Government has unveiled the top 10 performing states in Nigeria’s ease of doing business ranking, with Lagos, Kaduna, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ogun, Enugu, Plateau, Ekiti, Kano and Nasarawa leading the list.
The ranking is contained in the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report.The report showed that states implementing reforms have recorded up to 40 per cent reduction in business registration timelines.
It also indicated over 30 per cent improvement in land 6administration efficiency.The report further highlighted notable progress in digital service delivery and dispute resolution.
Reforms driving investor confidence.
Speaking at a roundtable with members of the diplomatic community and strategic partners in Abuja, the Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Princess Zahrah Audu, said the results demonstrated that sustained reforms were producing measurable outcomes across the states.
“These achievements are not abstract metrics; they are signals to investors that Nigeria is becoming more predictable, more transparent, and more competitive,” she said.
The event was held in collaboration with the British High Commission, UKAID and other partners. It focused on connecting investment capital to the country’s top-performing states.
Audu noted that while progress had been made, the key challenge was ensuring that reforms translated into practical results for investors and businesses.
“As important as progress is, progress alone is not enough.The real question before us is this: Can reforms translate into results? Can they deliver faster permitting processes, clearer regulatory pathways, and efficient capital deployment? Because ultimately, capital flows where certainty grows,” she said.
She explained that PEBEC was concentrating on three major areas, adding that these included improving the quality and coordination of regulations to ensure policies are practical and transparent.They also included enhancing service delivery through platforms such as Report.
Government, which allows real-time feedback on business challenges. She added that the council was deepening reforms at the state level where most business activities took place.
States key to $1 trillion economy goal.
Also speaking, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, said Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy would depend largely on the role of states and the private sector.
“We feel confident that with that mindset, led by the private sector, we can create a $1 trillion economy, supported by the response that our economy has experienced to doing what is right,” he explained.
Bagudu disclosed that Nigeria’s federal structure gave states and local governments significant authority, which included the ability to enter contracts and operate their own court systems.
He added that these powers made their actions critical to attracting investment and driving economic growth.According to him, competition among states, supported by reforms and development programmes backed by institutions such as the World Bank, had encouraged improved economic performance across the country.
Culled from The Nation