By
Abdul-Kadir Abdullah
The Edo State Government on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, commenced the preparation and validation of its 2026 Business Enabling Reform Action Plan (BERAP 2026), as stakeholders from the public and private sectors converged in Benin City for a progress review of the 2025 reforms.
Speaking at the session, the Honourable Commissioner for Finance and Chairman, Edo State Ease of Doing Business Council, Engr Emmanuel Okoebor, said the meeting was a strategic engagement aimed at reviewing the implementation of the 2025 Business Enabling Reforms Action Plan and designing a more robust, realistic, and impactful BERAP for 2026.
He conveyed the goodwill and firm commitment of the Executive Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, noting that the governor’s vision is to build a competitive, inclusive, and investor-friendly Edo State.
According to him, "The engagement underscored the collective responsibility of government, the private sector, and development partners to strengthen the regulatory and institutional environment under the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) Programme, a performance-based initiative supported by the Federal Government and the World Bank"
He explained that the Ease of Doing Business initiative remains a critical component of Nigeria’s national reform agenda, driven by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), and aimed at reducing bureaucracy, removing bottlenecks, and simplifying business processes, particularly at the sub-national level where most businesses operate.
The commissioner noted that Edo State’s Ease of Doing Business Council and its Secretariat were established to domesticate these reforms, ensure inter-agency coordination, and drive policy coherence across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He said the session provided an opportunity to identify gaps, consolidate gains from the 2025 BERAP, and align the 2026 action plan with national priorities and the state’s SHINE development agenda—Security, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Agriculture, and Education.
The reform framework, he added, is guided by the PEBEC sub-national indicators covering infrastructure, transparency and access to information, skills and labour, security, regulatory environment, and economic opportunity, all of which directly impact the daily experience of businesses in the state.
Participants at the event included Honourable Commissioners represented; representatives of Permanent Secretaries, and heads of MDAs; development partners, captains of industry, members of the Organised Private Sector, farmers’ groups, micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs), and other key stakeholders.
The chairman of the council urged MDAs to actively participate in the reform process, nominate capable Ease of Doing Business and SABER liaison officers, and approach the exercise with a solutions-driven mindset.
He emphasised that the ultimate goal of BERAP 2026 is not just to improve rankings, but to enhance the real-life experience of doing business in Edo State through practical, measurable, and impactful reforms.
The technical session was formally declared open, with participants expected to contribute to shaping a business-friendly environment that drives investment, job creation, and inclusive economic growth in Edo State.
