FIC Report (Lagos State) – June 23, 2025, | Lagos — The Lagos edition of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Nationwide Technical Workshop and Townhall Meeting was held today at Hall 1, Combo Hall, LTV Complex, Agidingbi, Ikeja, as part of efforts to strengthen subnational business reforms through the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER).
The engagement, split into morning and afternoon sessions, brought together key government functionaries, private sector stakeholders, and reform champions.
During the morning session, senior officials from Lagos State MDAs were in attendance, including The Honourable Commissioner, MCCTI, Mrs Folashade Kaosarat Bada Ambrose, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Dr Aina Olugbemiga, and Mr Wale Ojikutu, Deputy Director, Lagos State Lands Bureau.
In her welcome address, Mrs. Bada Ambrose presented an update on Lagos State’s performance under key SABER reform indicators, including digitisation of investment services, streamlined business processes, a functional grievance redress mechanism, and MSME-focused export initiatives. She emphasised that reforms in Lagos are “not just policy, but people-driven,” aimed at solving real problems for real businesses.
The afternoon session, designed as a town hall, provided a platform for business owners, cooperatives, startups, and trade associations to voice their experiences. A notable moment came from Mr. Duro Kuteyi, Director of the Association of Food and Agro Processors, who questioned the Federal Government’s protection of local businesses. He lamented that foreign companies are increasingly producing goods Nigerians are fully capable of producing, calling for policies that shield and support domestic SMEs. “Other countries like China and Malaysia are growing because they protect their small businesses. Nigeria must do the same,” he urged.
Responding to such feedback, Princess Zahrah Mustapha-Audu, Secretary of PEBEC, commended Lagos for its leadership and reaffirmed the Council’s mission to listen and respond. She noted that the town hall was not just symbolic but part of a deliberate strategy to bridge policy and implementation through grassroots feedback.
“Reform cannot happen in Abuja alone,” she said. “What we are doing with the SABER framework is creating room for States like Lagos to lead with practical, citizen-facing reforms. We’re not here to talk—we’re here to co-create lasting solutions.”
Breakout sessions followed the town hall, with discussions on land administration, taxation, cooperative formalisation, and SME access to export markets.
With the PEBEC tour continuing across Nigeria, Lagos has again demonstrated why it remains a national leader in business reform—moving from talk to action, and from policy to people-first progress.
Signed
Gloria Dawodu
CI&PRO
