PEBEC: Only 10 of 39 MDAs Scored Above 50% in New BFA Assessment

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The overall Business Facilitation Act (BFA) performance results for 2023 which was released weekend by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has indicated that only 10 out of 39 Ministries, Departments and Agencies  (MDAs) scored above 50 per cent.
PEBEC, therefore urged MDAs to take concrete steps to improve efficiency and transparency ratings before the end of the 2024 reporting period.

“With only 10 MDAs scoring above 50 per cent and a weighted average score of 34.87 per cent across the 39 MDAs, strategic measures to enhance sector-specific metrics will need to be prioritised. Thus, MDAs must take concrete steps to improve efficiency and transparency ratings before the end of the 2024 reporting period.

“Most importantly, MDAs should as a matter of urgency set-up BFA Implementation Reform Committees. These committees will be responsible for steering BFA implementation initiatives in the MDAs, accelerating the strides taken in promoting a culture of transparency and accountability.
“This will be in furtherance of the implementation strategies of the eight-point agenda of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, designed to boost economic reforms for sustained inclusive growth across all sectors,” PEBEC advised.
It urged the MDAs covered in the report to draw insights from empirical data and past BFA reports since 2018 to drive essential improvements in efficiency and transparency.

However, the report indicated that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) had the highest score of 70.07 per cent, placing the agency on top of the chart in efficiency and transparency compliance ranking scale among the others MDAs in the country.

Notably, the detailed analysis of the latest result covering January 2023 – December 2023  also showed other commendable performances as:  Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) 69.5 per cent, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) 65.12 per cent, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), 65.04 per cent, and Nigerian Export-Import Bank, (NEXIM) 63.51 per cent.
According to PEBEC, the high-performing MDAs demonstrated commendable performance in both efficiency and transparency through diligent adherence to their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) during the 2023 reporting year.

It added that the overall performance of MDAs highlights the need for massive improvement in key BFA Compliance metrics.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the President on PEBEC and Investment Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, noted that over the past seven years, PEBEC had consistently published Compliance Reports, providing an empirical analysis of the monthly reports from MDAs.

She said that an MDA’s EO1 performance score was based on efficiency and transparency measures, with a 70 per cent to 30 per cent ratio, respectively.
According to her, efficiency measures compliance with service delivery timelines and directives of the EO1, while transparency is assessed based on website updates, online service portals, detailed service information, timelines, costs, statutory requirements, and customer service contact details.

PEBEC was established in July 2016 by the federal government to oversee Nigeria’s business environment intervention with the dual mandate of removing bureaucratic and legislative constraints to doing business and improving the perception of the ease of doing business in Nigeria.