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When the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ranked 31st in the 2023 Subnational Ease of Doing Business assessment, there was little indication that in a relatively short period of time Nigeria’s capital would make a dramatic leap into the top five business-friendly destinations in the country.
Today that story has changed.
FCT’s notable rise in the PEBEC ranking reflects infrastructure renewal, land administration reforms, improved service delivery and a reinvigorated investment drive
While such rankings are the product of several institutions, reforms and measurable indicators, the FCT’s improved performance reflects the direction of the administration of FCT Minister Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, particularly his emphasis on infrastructure, land administration, institutional effectiveness, service delivery and private sector investment.
Since assuming office, Wike has made infrastructure development one of the hallmarks of his administration. Across the capital, road construction, rehabilitation and expansion have opened important corridors, improved connectivity and enhanced circulation within the city and its satellite communities.
But perhaps equally consequential to Abuja’s investment environment has been the administration’s focus on land reforms and restoring discipline in land administration.
The Wike administration has taken a more assertive approach to addressing long-standing challenges within the system. This included measures to strengthen the integrity of land records, address abuses associated with land allocations, enforce development conditions and improve accountability in land administration.
The administration has also moved to address the age-old issue of documentation and regularization of Area Council lands by providing a pathway for affected property owners to formalize their interests within the FCT statutory framework.
The introduction and enforcement of land revenue obligations, together with efforts to recover outstanding revenues associated with land and property, have also strengthened the principle that land administration must be accompanied by accountability and respect.
In addition to land and infrastructure, the FCT has also seen progress in institutional areas important to business, including access to commercial justice, grievance redress mechanisms and increasingly technology-based public services. Functional small claims courts, for example, provide businesses, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, with a quicker and less complicated route to resolve certain commercial disputes.
An important part of this emerging story is the role of Abuja Investments Company Limited (AICL), the investment arm of the FCT administration.
Under the current administration, AICL has intensified efforts to promote Abuja as an attractive investment destination, engage domestic and international investors, and create platforms that connect government opportunities with private sector capital.
Through strategic investment commitments, partnerships and platforms such as the Abuja Business and Investment Summit/Expo, the company has helped draw greater attention to the commercial potential of the FCT. Its activities in real estate, agriculture, renewable energy, markets and other investment opportunities complement the administration’s broader economic development agenda.
Indeed, the real value of an ease of doing business ranking is not simply where it stands on the national table, but also whether entrepreneurs and investors can perceive improvements when seeking land, registering interests, obtaining approvals, resolving disputes and interacting with government institutions.
However, the move from 31st to 4th within a rating cycle is significant. This suggests that Abuja is moving in the right direction and that the combination of infrastructure renewal, land reforms, institutional improvements and investment promotion is producing measurable results.
Under the leadership of Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, these diverse elements are increasingly being brought together, as institutions such as Abuja Investments Company Limited are complementing the administration’s efforts by bringing Abuja’s investment opportunities to the market.
The latest PEBEC ranking therefore represents more than an improvement in the position on the national table. This is an opportunity to consolidate reforms, strengthen investor confidence and demonstrate what can be achieved through coordinated leadership and institutional performance.
From 31st to 4th Abuja made a notable leap. The challenge now is to sustain the momentum and make the nation’s capital not just a great place to live and work, but one of the best places to invest and do business in Nigeria.
Dr. Jumai Ahmadu,
Director of the Department for Coordination of Reforms and Service Improvement, FCTA
[email protected]
