2025 Business Facilitation Act assessment reveals wide disparities in MDAs’ efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness across Nigeria.
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has released its 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) performance report, evaluating how Nigerian ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) complied with transparency, efficiency, and service-delivery standards between January and October 2025.
The report assesses service efficiency, complaint resolution, digital innovation, monthly reporting, and inter-agency coordination, revealing mixed performance across the federal bureaucracy.
According to PEBEC, high-performing agencies showed improved adherence to service level agreements (SLAs), stronger digital processes, and greater transparency, while lower-performing MDAs struggled with responsiveness, automation, and coordination.
“Overall, the 2025 BFA Performance Report confirms progress in public-service accountability, but sustained reforms and enhanced automation remain critical for boosting Nigeria’s competitiveness,” the council said.
Top-Performing Agencies
At the forefront of the rankings, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) led with a 90.6% score, followed closely by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at 89.3%, and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at 86.6%.
Other strong performers included:
- Nigerian Communications Commission – 85.3%
- Nigerian Ports Authority – 84.2%
- National Information Technology Development Agency – 79.9%
- Oil & Gas Free Zones Authority – 79.4%
- Nigeria Immigration Service – 76.9%
- Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency – 73.8%
- Corporate Affairs Commission – 72.3%
- Standards Organisation of Nigeria – 71.6%
Mid-Range Performers
Agencies with moderate compliance scores included:
- Nigeria Broadcasting Commission – 69.9%
- Nigerian Export Promotion Council – 68%
- Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission – 65.1%
- Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service – 64.8%
- Bureau for Public Procurement – 60.6%
Other mid-tier agencies ranged from National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (60.1%) to NAFDAC (52.9%), highlighting areas needing targeted reforms.
Low-Performing Agencies
Several agencies recorded scores below 50%, including:
- Nigerian Airspace Management Agency – 48.8%
- EFCC Special Control Unit against Money Laundering – 48.5%
- Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority – 48.2%
- NEXIM Bank – 46.9%
- NIMASA – 42.4%
- National Inland Waterways Authority – 38.9%
Others at the bottom included the Patent and Design Registry (38.9%), National Insurance Commission (37.3%), and Galaxy Backbone Limited (37%).
The lowest performers were largely regulatory and service agencies, with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria scoring just 3%, followed by the National Identity Management Commission (12.7%), Service Compact (12.6%), and Nigeria Postal Service (17.1%).
Regional Performance Trends
PEBEC also evaluated subnational ease of doing business across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT.
- North-East: Lowest-performing region, though a few states show early signs of improvement.
- South-South: Moderate but uneven performance.
- North-West: Split performance between strong and lagging states.
- South-West: National leader in business environment reforms.
- North-Central: Strong overall, behind the south-west.
- South-East: Solid performance, trailing behind other leading regions.
The council noted that over 39 million MSMEs operate nationwide, making subnational performance crucial for economic resilience and long-term growth.
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