5th PEBEC Awards: Gombe Crowned Best State In Ease Of Doing Business

Gombe State has been crowned as the best state in ease of doing business in Nigeria.

The award was presented to the state yesterday by vice president, Yemi Osinbajo during the 5th PEBEC awards held at the presidential villa in Abuja.

In a recent ranking conducted by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Gombe emerged the state with the highest score based on empirical data from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the 2021 and 2023 sub-national ease of doing business.

PEBEC also honoured some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as private sector stakeholders who have made significant contributions to the ease of doing business interventions.

LEADERSHIP recalls that when PEBEC  released the second edition of the Sub-national Ease of Doing Business Report for 2023, Gombe State won the highest points, leading the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

This is the second time Gombe has clinched the first position, having emerged the overall best last year when PEBEC released the 2021 Ease of Doing Business report.

According to the PEBEC report, Gombe scored 7.15 to emerge as the state providing the friendliest environment for business.

In arriving at its ranking, PEBEC looked at six indicators, namely Infrastructure; Secure and Stable Environment; Transparency and Accessibility of Information; Regulatory Environment; Skills and Labour and Economic Opportunity. Gombe State excelled in all the parameters.

The highly elated Governor Muhammadu Inuwa, who received the award, expressed satisfaction that the reforms being carried out by his administration have been recognised and appreciated, assuring that the award will spur him to do more for the people to feel the impact of what both the federal and the state governments are doing in terms of providing enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

Represented by the deputy governor, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, who is also the chairman of Gombe State Council on Ease of Doing Business, Governor Inuwa said the recognition attested to the huge economic and industrial revolution taking place in Gombe State.

He said retaining the number one spot in the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria  is asymptomatic of purposeful leadership and political dynamism of the APC led government in the State.