Shettima: Tinubu Making It Easier Now To Do Business In Nigeria

Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima declared that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is actively working to improve the ease of doing business in the country. He stated that the government has replaced "gatekeeping with partnership" through bold structural and fiscal reforms, enabling sub-national entities to unlock their economic potential.

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On our part, we have made it easier to do business in Nigeria. 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 Business Facilitation Act has given these reforms the force of law, binding our agencies to transparency, predictability and speed.

Speaking at the Jigawa State Investment Summit 2026 in Dutse, Shettima explained that the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has simplified registrations and permits, thereby reducing the cost and time associated with starting and operating businesses. The Business Facilitation Act, he noted, has codified these reforms into law, mandating transparency, predictability, and speed from government agencies.

"We have also unified and liberalised the foreign-exchange market, ended distortions that for too long frightened away serious investors, and put public finances on a more honest footing," Shettima said. He observed that these measures are yielding positive outcomes, with currency markets functioning more transparently and reserves strengthening. For the first time in over a decade, leading rating agencies have begun to upgrade Nigeria's sovereign credit standing.

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We have also unified and liberalised the foreign-exchange market, ended distortions that for too long frightened away serious investors, and put public finances on a more honest footing.

Shettima further elaborated on how reforms are opening strategic economic sectors to private capital. He cited the Electricity Act 2023, which devolves significant power to states for licensing, generation, and distribution of electricity, encouraging investment in the sector. "From power to agriculture, from solid minerals to the digital economy, we have replaced gatekeeping with partnership," he stated, adding that savings from reforms are being redirected towards infrastructure, human capital, and support for vulnerable citizens.

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From power to agriculture, from solid minerals to the digital economy, we have replaced gatekeeping with partnership. And we have redirected the savings from hard reform towards the things that build a nation, into infrastructure, into human capital, and into support for our most vulnerable citizens, so that growth, when it comes, is felt in the household and not only in the headline.