Lagos Tops National Rankings for Ease of Doing Business, Wins Dual Honours at PEBEC Awards

Lagos State has been named Nigeria’s leading subnational economy for business competitiveness, clinching two major honours at the 2025 Presidential Enabling Business Council (PEBEC) Awards held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The state won both the Best Subnational for Ease of Doing Business and Best State Reform Champion awards, emerging as the highest-ranked performer nationwide with an overall score of 85.6 per cent.

The recognition reflects Lagos’ sustained reforms across critical areas, including land administration, taxation, digital service delivery, trade facilitation, and investor support frameworks. These reforms positioned the state ahead of its peers in the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business assessment.

Receiving the awards on behalf of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Bada Ambrose, said the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report and the Business Facilitation Act Performance Report provide the most comprehensive evaluation yet of how states and federal agencies have shaped Nigeria’s business environment this year.

According to her, the assessment measured state performance across 16 indicators and 36 sub-metrics, including electricity reliability, access to skilled labour, efficiency of commercial dispute resolution, digital infrastructure, tax administration, and support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

She noted that the 2025 edition introduced a more robust, data-driven benchmarking framework, allowing states to identify reform gaps, monitor progress, and compare performance objectively across the federation.

Mrs. Ambrose attributed Lagos’ strong showing to the leadership of Governor Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, as well as the consistent efforts of the state’s Ease of Doing Business team and relevant ministries and agencies.

She added that the awards reaffirm Lagos’ position as Nigeria’s most attractive investment destination and one of Africa’s leading subnational economies for business growth and innovation.