Business
Ease of Doing Business: PEBEC Pushes Digital Integration Among MDAs
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has called for stronger digital integration among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to improve governance efficiency and ease of doing business in Nigeria.
The Director-General, PEBEC, Princess Zahra Audu, made the call during the Retreat for Heads of MDAs and MDA Reform Champions, themed ‘From Collaboration To Integration: Digitalising Government Services Through Shared Systems And Data, in Abuja, recently.
Audu said the council was promoting interconnectivity among agencies to reduce duplication, improve efficiency and ensure seamless service delivery for citizens and businesses.
According to her, PEBEC had grouped MDAs into clusters based on operational interdependence to ensure policies and reforms align with government objectives.
“We identify the gaps and then we create the solutions to fix those gaps.
“The council will collaborate with agencies including National Information Technology Development Agency and Galaxy Backbone on digital integration,” she said.
Earlier, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, said Nigeria could no longer afford fragmented institutional processes and outdated service delivery systems that weaken productivity and reduced investor confidence.
Hadejia said the retreat theme reflected the need for coordinated service delivery, shared digital platforms and real-time collaboration among MDAs.
He also said the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained committed to building a transparent, technology-enabled and innovation-driven public sector capable of supporting Nigeria’s broader economic transformation agenda.
The Commissioner for Finance at the National Pension Commission, Dr Charles Emukowhate, said digital reforms had simplified pension registration, compliance certification and retirement benefit processing.
Emukowhate said President Tinubu had approved and cleared outstanding pension liabilities worth N758billion under the Renewed Hope Agenda, describing it as unprecedented in Nigeria’s history.
Also, the Country Director, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Mrs Obianuju Uchenna, said digital public infrastructure could reduce governance costs by up to 60 per cent through seamless data sharing across agencies.
Uchenna said Nigeria should prioritise integrating critical agencies and gradually expand digital interoperability across sectors including agriculture, education and health.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Wale-Smatt Oyerinde, stressed the importance of skills development in strengthening SMEs and supporting economic growth.
Oyerinde said NECA, in partnership with the Industrial Training Fund and Microsoft, was training young Nigerians in technical and artificial intelligence skills to improve productivity and competitiveness.
The Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission, Olusegun Omosehin, said digitalisation had become mandatory in the insurance sector following the enactment of the Insurance Industry Reform Act 2025.
Omosehin said automation would improve insurance penetration, customer access and service delivery, adding that consumers would increasingly purchase insurance products digitally.
The Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Mr Adeyemi Adeniran, said the bureau was implementing an integrated administrative data system to improve data sharing among MDAs.
Adeniran said the initiative would reduce the cost of data production and improve evidence-based policymaking through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools.
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The Federal Government has approved a whooping $1bn credit facility to support Nigerian exporters and small scale businesses to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to boost production, competitiveness and intra-African trade.
The $1bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility is also expected to address some of the financing gap being faced by Nigerian exporters and enhance the competitiveness of African businesses within the continental market.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this during the second quarter 2026 meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee held in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Obilor-Duru Okechi, Oduwole said the financing facility represented a major opportunity for Nigerian businesses seeking to expand operations, modernise production processes and increase exports to African markets.
The statement partly read, “?The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating Nigeria’s export-led growth agenda under the African Continental Free Trade Area, unveiling opportunities for businesses to access a US$1 billion AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility aimed at boosting production, competitiveness, and intra-African trade.”
She noted that despite the progress Nigeria had made in implementing the continental trade agreement, many local businesses continued to face obstacles that limited their ability to take advantage of the single African market.
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“Many businesses still face challenges relating to export documentation, certification, standards compliance and market access,” the minister said.
She explained that the Federal Government was addressing these bottlenecks through enhanced trade facilitation measures, simplified AfCFTA guidance tools, stakeholder engagement programmes and stronger collaboration with institutions such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
Oduwole stressed the need to strengthen Nigeria’s legal and regulatory framework by domesticating key AfCFTA protocols, particularly the Digital Trade Protocol, to position the country as a major player in Africa’s growing digital economy.
The minister also highlighted some of the gains recorded in Nigeria’s AfCFTA implementation efforts.
According to her, the expansion of Nigeria’s Air Cargo Corridor Initiative to Rwanda, increased collaboration with development partners and private sector players, as well as sustained engagement with state governments, were helping to deepen awareness and participation in the continental market.
In her welcome address and first-quarter update, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Mrs Patience Okala, provided details of the financing initiative.
Okala said the $1bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility was targeted at large African businesses with a minimum financing capacity of $10m.
She revealed that the National AfCFTA Coordination Office was working closely with fund managers to facilitate access for eligible Nigerian companies and had begun assembling a pilot group of businesses to ensure that Nigeria maximised the opportunities provided by the facility.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has advised Nigerians against boarding boats that require constant bailing of water in the interest of their safety.
NIWA Area Manager for Cross River and Ebonyi, Mr Stanley Onuoha gave this warning in an interview with Newsmen in Calabar.
Onuoha who spoke on waterway
safety, said that passengers should take responsibility for their safety by inspecting boats before embarking on any journey.
According to him, repeated scooping of water from a boat is a clear indication that the vessel may be leaking.
“If you are entering a boat and see people using a bailer to remove water, it is the first signal that the boat is leaking,” he said.
He urged passengers to check the integrity of boats, including seating arrangements and other visible safety features.
The Manager restated the importance of using safety jackets, saying that damaged jackets may fail during emergencies.
He further said that passengers should ensure that safety jackets were appropriate for their body sizes in order to guarantee effective flotation.
Onuoha reiterated the need for passengers to fill manifests before departure to aid accountability during emergencies.
The NIWA official further advised travellers to monitor weather conditions and avoid boarding boats when the weather is unfavourable.
According to him, poor weather conditions can trigger strong tidal waves capable of affecting small boats commonly used on inland waterways.
He said that waterway journeys should be embarked upon between 6.00a.m and 6.00p.m for clearer visibility.
Onuoha said the Authority had continued to sensitise riverine communities to the need for safety precautions during waterway journeys.
He stated that sustained awareness campaigns and enforcement measures had contributed to safety waterway safety in Cross River.
CHINEDU WOSU
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