Lagos State has been named Nigeria’s most competitive business environment in the newly released 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Report by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
With a score of 85.6%, Lagos topped the national ranking ahead of Kaduna, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Ogun, which made up the top five. The annual assessment evaluated all 36 states and the FCT across 16 indicators and 36 sub-metrics, including electricity reliability, land administration, digital connectivity, taxation, trade logistics, justice delivery, skilled-labour availability and investor support systems.
Enugu, Plateau, Ekiti, Kano and Nasarawa also featured among the top ten. PEBEC noted that while reform momentum is growing nationwide, progress remains uneven, with leading states distinguished by improvements in digitalisation, streamlined business procedures and predictable service delivery.
Presenting the report, PEBEC Director-General, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, said the 2025 results reinforce the connection between reforms and competitiveness.
“This year’s results clearly show that when states prioritise transparency, technology and predictable service delivery, competitiveness improves,” she said, adding that the data should guide ongoing reforms rather than merely document performance.
She urged all states to adopt the report’s recommended interventions, including strengthening MSME credit systems, harmonising interstate trade rules, upgrading commercial justice delivery, improving power reliability in industrial clusters and establishing investor-aftercare mechanisms.
Alongside the subnational rankings, PEBEC also released the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance Report, which monitors the compliance of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with statutory service standards.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) led the MDA performance ranking with 90.6%, 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) placed fourth and fifth with 85.3% and 84.2% respectively.
Audu commended the top-performing MDAs for embracing technology-driven, transparent and efficient service systems. She emphasised that competitiveness “is not accidental, but the product of deliberate policies and responsible service delivery,” urging all MDAs to intensify digital optimisation and improve responsiveness to citizens and businesses.
