Nigeria Rises To 131 In World Bank’s Ease Of Doing Business Ranking

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  Moves up 15 places, named in global top 10 improvers

Following the Federal Government’s efforts to ease business operations in the country, the World Bank’s 2020 Doing Business Index (DBI) has ranked Nigeria 131 out of 190 countries, up 15 places from 146 position last year.

The report, which was released earlier this week also named Nigeria one of the top 10 most improved economies in the world for the second time in three years.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Nigeria is one of only two African countries to make this highly prestigious list.

Adesina stated that with this year’s leap, Nigeria has improved an aggregate of 39 places in the World Bank Doing Business index since 2016.

The Doing Business Index is an annual ranking that objectively assesses prevailing business climate conditions across 190 countries based on 10 ease of doing business indicators.

The index captures ease of doing business reforms that have been validated by the private sector, and offers comparative insights based on private sector validation in the two largest commercial cities in countries with a population higher than 100 million.

The report consequently features Lagos and Kano for Nigeria.

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) was established by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2016 to drive and implement the administration’s Ease of Doing Business reform agenda at national and sub-national levels.

PEBEC, chaired by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo with 13 Governors, Ministers as members, amongst others, has through the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat collaborated with ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), the National Assembly, the Judiciary, State governments and the private sector to carry out over 140 reforms so far in a bid to remove bureaucratic constraints to doing business in Nigeria and make the country a progressively easier place to start and grow a business.

The report according to Adesina acknowledged reforms spearheaded by the PEBEC in the areas of operationalising a new electronic platform that integrates the tax authority the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Corporate Affairs Commission.

It also acknowledged reforms carried out in some of the World Bank Doing Business indicator areas such as starting a business, registering property, getting construction permits, getting electricity, enforcing contracts, and trading across borders.

Over the past four years, Nigeria’s score has steadily improved in the World Bank Doing Business Report, after years of decline in both score and ranking in the years preceding 2016.

It will be recalled that in 2017, Nigeria moved up by an unprecedented 24 places on the Doing Business rankings, and was for the first time ever, recognized as one of the top 10 reformers in the area of doing business that year.

With the impending ratification of the Companies and Allied Matters Bill and the introduction of the Business Facilitation (Omnibus) Bill, 2019 in view, along with other pending and ongoing regulatory, judicial and sub-national reforms, Nigeria is poised to meet its goal of being a top 100 ranked economy by 2020.

“The announcement indicates that our mandate to move into the top 70 doing business destinations by 2023 remains achievable”, he said.

“The steady improvement in Nigeria’s ease of doing business score and rank is a testament to the reforms implemented by this Administration over the past 4 years in line with the reform agenda being implemented at national and sub-national levels across the country since the establishment of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) by President Muhammadu Buhari in July, 2016.

“The 2020 Doing Business report from the World Bank has reaffirmed the commitment of PEBEC to making Nigeria a progressively easier place to do business and removing bureaucratic constraints to doing business in the country as we forge ahead in this Next Level”, says Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Minister Industry, Trade and Investment.

Speaking on the development, the Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole said, “the movement of 15 places to 131 as well as the recognition being given to Nigeria as one of the top 10 most improved countries who have implemented the most reforms this year, is significant because we weren’t even able to achieve some of the key reforms we had pursued, but what we have done so far is being recognized”

She noted that the validation confirms that PEBEC’s strategy is working and assured that the team would continue to push even harder to deliver more impactful reforms.