
Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
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Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
The PRESIDENTIAL ENABLING BUSINESS COUNCIL has done an incredible job in the last couple of months to build the blocks for ease of doing business in Nigeria and pushing the frontier for us as a nation on the competitiveness index.

In fact,to be competitive you must bring to bear a Comparative edge and bent in the way you conduct yourself. This is further reinforced by how you provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
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In this article I will be highlighting the activities of Nigeria’s Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC). This is to enable our readers keep brace of changes in economic activity procedures in the country. It is aimed at encouraging local and foreign investors in the country.
The President approved the establishment of the Enabling Business Environment:
Secretariat (EBES), closely overseen by the PEBEC as a pragmatic mechanism to begin the process of systematically removing the binding constraints to doing business in Nigeria. The proposed mechanism for improving the business climate in Nigeria emulates the key success factors from countries (e.g., Georgia and Rwanda) that have made significant progress in removing the constraints to doing business in their countries.
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has disclosed that the Federal Government achieved 31 reforms in the last 60 days on the ease of doing business mandate under the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
During the week, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole; Senior special Adviser to the President on Industry Trade and Investment and Secretary of the council discussed the job of the council and the quick wins attained. She availed us of the 60 day National Action plan which sought to set the tone for our journey to Competitiveness through ease of doing business.
The inclusion of a multi-sectoral stakeholder group of MDAs, National Assembly, the Sub-nationals (Lagos and Kano index states) and select members of the organized private sector with a well thought through monitoring and evaluation mechanism is an eloquent testimony of the sincerity purpose exhibited in the course of their work.
The Document highlighted priority areas as defined by the council to include;-Starting a business, dealing with construction permits, Getting electricity, Registering Property, Getting credit, Taxation, Trading across borders and a very important one, Trade and investment- Entry and exit of People. It is important to note that the Pilot states or Index states are Lagos and Kano for a start.
Starting a Business:
Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
FIRS e-payment:
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Construction Permits:
Six reforms have been completed diligently and include obtaining Clarity on Environmental Impact Assessment and Soil Test, E-Planning platform activated with clear timelines indicated and fees published online as well as Qualification laws and procedures published online. Obtaining the Regulation on Construction permit in 30 days in the first instance seems to be the only pending reform.
Getting Electricity:
Access to Credit:
Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
Property Registration:
Cross Border Trade:
The NIgeria Customs Service has been enjoined to coordinate physical examination between official s and importers. Central Bank of Nigeria ,Customs and Commercial Banks are now required to process Net Export Proceeds-NXP forms in 72 and Pre- shipment Inspection Agencies are now compelled to issue Certificate of Clean Inspection within 3 days. All these are part of the processes of accelerating the Pre-Export documentation procedures. Import documentation requirements are to be reduced from 14 to 8 and for Exports from 10 to 7.
Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
Lastly Container Placement Notice time by Terminal operators for examination to be reduced from 24 hours to 12 hours. In the whole scheme of things Customs and port officials are being primed to be trade facilitators and not business blockers.
Immigration Procedure:
The Council has prioritized this through simplification of the visa on arrival and submission process through E- submission in concert with the Nigeria Immigration Service with a new Regulation in place for 2017. Arrival and departure cards or forms have been consolidated into one and a 48 hour processing time for business and tourist visas at our Embassies and High Commissions have been approved.
Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
Airports Infrastructure:
The Airport looks like an atavistic remnant of Neolithic times. Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport in Abuja is not any better in spite of the newly completed runway. They both urgently need to be upgraded and beautified via coats of paint and other state of the art technology befitting of a country that wants to be not only an aviation hub but equally an investment destination. The first point of contact by a first time visitor to any country is the Airport. You never get a second chance to create a first impression is the refrain.
Assessment:
Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – An Elixir for Competitiveness.
The council has been able to show through the Chairmanship of the Vice President that where there is a will there is a way and that if government decides to work as a collective a lot can be achieve