FIC Report (Kaduna State) – The Kaduna State’s reputation as an investment destination received another boost as the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and the Kaduna State Ease of Doing Business Council reviewed ongoing reforms aimed at improving service delivery and attracting more investors.
Speaking during PEBEC’s nationwide town hall and state engagement tour in Kaduna, the Director General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu said the federal team was in the state to ensure federal business reforms “trickle down” to subnational governments across all 36 states and the FCT. She noted that Kaduna State met with the Subnational Ease of Doing Business Council, led by the Honorable Commissioner and the head of the investment promotion agency.
Princess Zahrah said Kaduna State is performing “amazingly well,” ranking second in the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business assessment unveiled by Vice President, His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON.
She added that PEBEC concluded a technical session with state officials to identify areas for further improvement, but emphasized that Kaduna’s current performance deserves recognition.
The PEBEC DG praised Kaduna’s strong investment promotion agency, noting its physical presence as a model other subnationals should emulate. However, she said PEBEC is pushing for the agency to be automated and digitalized so that “anybody in any part of Nigeria and the rest of the world can interface and access their services directly through a single interface, which would be their one-stop shop.”
She also suggested Kaduna should be more intentional in branding, leveraging its natural resources and attributes to define priority areas that naturally attract the right investors.
According to her, the nationwide sessions with states focus on helping them strategize and align so they can compete effectively for investment.
Regarding federal reforms, Princess Zahrah stated that agencies have greatly improved under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and under the leadership of the Vice President, who chairs PEBEC.
She cited clearer service level agreements, defined requirements and timelines, and increased transparency. She added that the culture of rent-seeking and corruption is being phased out, with immigration officers now using body cams, the National Single Window operational for trade, and many processes automated.
She also highlighted Nigeria’s fully functional grievance redress mechanism, which has been operational for over a year, enabling businesses to hold the government accountable. “All across, there’s a lot more accountability for businesses. Like our President continues to say, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu keeps saying Nigeria is open for business, we reemphasize that Nigeria is open for business, and not just for international investors, but for local investors and Nigerians who are looking to scale or explore new ventures,” she said.
In her opening remarks, the Chairperson of the Kaduna State Ease of Doing Business Council and Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology, Hon. Patience Fakai, welcomed the PEBEC delegation and stakeholders on behalf of Governor Senator Uba Sani. She said the stakeholder session was important because “the success of any reform agenda is ultimately measured not by policies or regulations, but by the experiences of businesses and investors on the ground.
Hon. Fakai noted that while the government can design reforms and establish institutions, the real test is whether businesses can start, operate, expand, and create jobs more easily and with greater confidence. She said Kaduna has embraced collaboration with the private sector, which contributed to the state’s emergence as one of Nigeria’s leading reforming states and its second-place ranking in 2025.
The Commissioner acknowledged that businesses still face challenges relating to regulatory processes, infrastructure, taxation, access to finance, logistics, and market opportunities.
She encouraged participants to speak openly and constructively, assuring them that their voices, experiences, and recommendations are vital inputs that will guide future reforms and make Kaduna’s economy more efficient, transparent, and investor-friendly.
Hon. Fakai thanked PEBEC for the initiative and its continued partnership with Kaduna State, and formally declared the stakeholder engagement session open for “fruitful and productive deliberations.”
Signed:
Muhammad Gwani
AD FIRC KADUNA
18th June,2026.
