Lagos State has emerged among the top 10 states in Nigeria’s ease of doing business, with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu pledging further reforms to consolidate the state’s position as the country’s premier investment destination.
The ranking is contained in the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report, released by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), which placed Lagos alongside Kaduna, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ogun, Enugu, Plateau, Ekiti, Kano and Nasarawa as the country’s top performers.
The report found that states implementing reforms have recorded up to 40 per cent reduction in business registration timelines, over 30 per cent improvement in land administration efficiency, and notable progress in digital service delivery and dispute resolution.
PEBEC Director-General, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, who presented the findings at a roundtable with members of the diplomatic community and strategic partners in Abuja, said the results demonstrated that sustained reforms were producing measurable outcomes across the states.
“These achievements are not abstract metrics they are signals to investors that Nigeria is becoming more predictable, more transparent, and more competitive,” she said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement, attributed Lagos’ performance to deliberate policy choices by his administration.
“This is the result of deliberate efforts by our government to create a positive environment for local and foreign investments, not just to thrive but to ensure good returns. We will continue to push for more investments and make our state a truly business-friendly place,” he said.
Representing the governor at the event, Lagos Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Bada, said the state’s ranking was the product of sustained institutional discipline.
“Our position is not accidental. It is the outcome of sustained institutional reforms, policy discipline, and a clear recognition that capital flows where there is clarity, confidence, and continuity,” she said.
Bada disclosed that Lagos contributes more than 30 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product and accounts for over 60 per cent of the country’s commercial and industrial activities. She added that the state’s long-term economic direction was anchored on the Lagos State Development Plan 2052, designed to ensure continuity across administrations.
She also announced the forthcoming launch of the Lagos State Industrial Policy 2025–2030, aimed at building a production-driven, export-oriented economy, and said reforms in land administration, construction permits and taxation had improved transparency and reduced delays. Low-risk construction permits, she noted, are now processed within 15 working days.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, said Nigeria’s ambition to achieve a $1 trillion economy would depend heavily on states and private sector leadership.
“We feel confident that with that mindset, led by the private sector, we can create a $1 trillion economy, supported by the response that our economy has experienced doing what is right,” he said.
Audu warned, however, that reform progress alone was insufficient without tangible impact on the ground.
“The real question before us is this: can reforms translate into results? Can they deliver faster permitting processes, clearer regulatory pathways, and efficient capital deployment? Because ultimately, capital flows where certainty grows,” she said.
PEBEC said it is concentrating on three priority areas: improving regulatory quality and coordination, enhancing service delivery through digital platforms including ReportGov, which enables real-time feedback on business challenges and deepening reforms at the subnational level where most business activity occurs.
The roundtable was held in collaboration with the British High Commission, UKAID and other development partners, with a focus on connecting investment capital to Nigeria’s top-performing states.
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