Borno leverages PEBEC to upscale post-terror economic recovery

From Uthman Abubakar, Maiduguri

Borno State has keyed into the nationwide Ease of Doing Business programme coordinated by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) to upscale efforts at Post-Boko Haram terror economic recovery.
The state’s deputy governor, Umar Usman Kadafur, announced this, Monday in Maiduguri, while declaring open the state’s version of the nationwide Subnational Engagement and Technical Reform Workshop organized by PEBEC.
Represented by the Cheif Investment Adviser to the Borno Governor, and Chairman, Borno State Investment Promotion Agency (Borno-Invest), Dr. Sa’id Alkali Kori, Kadafur described the workshop as another milestone in Borno’s pursuit not just for rapid post‑insurgency recovery story, but to transform it to a model of regulatory efficiency and investment attractiveness.
“The presence of PEBEC and the SABER project here in Maiduguri underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to subnational business enabling reforms – and Borno is proud to be at the forefront,” Kadafur said.
He said Borno State keyed into the project by domesticating key reforms, including the full implementation of the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) in collaboration with the World Bank, and the operationalisation of the Business Enabling Reforms Action Plan (BERAP).
“Our goal is simple: to reduce the cost and time of doing business, to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, and to provide a seamless, transparent, and predictable regulatory environment for every investor”. Kadafur said.
As Chairman of Borno-Invest, the Deputy Governor expressed the Agency’s readiness to work hand‑in‑hand with PEBEC, the SABER project, and all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to harmonise fees, simplify regulations, and improve the investor experience from entry to exit.
Earlier in her remarks, the Director-General PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu said, the Council was established in July 2016 by the Federal Government to serve as the nation’s foremost institutional platform for driving business environment reforms and strengthening investor confidence across the Federation.
“PEBEC was created with the strategic mandate to eliminate bureaucratic and legislative impediments to enterprise, improve regulatory efficiency, and position Nigeria as a globally competitive destination for investment, innovation, and economic growth”, she said.