Lagos State has emerged as Nigeria’s leading subnational economy, winning two major awards at the 2025 Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Awards held in Abuja.
The state was named Best Subnational for Ease of Doing Business and Best State Reform Champion, following the release of the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Report and the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance Report.
According to the reports, states were assessed across 16 indicators and 36 sub-metrics spanning key areas such as electricity reliability, availability of skilled labour, commercial justice delivery, digital connectivity, taxation, and support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). PEBEC noted that the 2025 assessment introduced more robust, data-driven benchmarking tools, enabling states to better identify reform gaps and measure progress against peers.
Lagos State emerged as Nigeria’s most competitive business environment, achieving an overall score of 85.6 percent. The performance was attributed to sustained reforms in land administration, taxation, digitization of government processes, trade logistics, and investor support services.
The awards were formally presented by the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the ceremony, underscoring the federal government’s recognition of Lagos State’s reform leadership and commitment to improving Nigeria’s business climate.
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council) is responsible for coordinating reforms aimed at making Nigeria a more attractive destination for local and foreign investment.