MDAs: PEBEC releases 2020/2021 Business Made Easy Report and 2021 E01 compliance report

By Chidinma Chukwu

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on Monday released its 2020/2021 Business Made Easy Report and the 2021 Executive Order 1(EO1) Compliance report for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The 2020/2021 Executive Order 01 Compliance Report offers a clear picture of the level of compliance to the Order’s directive among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) while the Business Made Easy Report records the reform journey from January 2020 to June 2021.

In the report released by PEBEC, the total overall average score for all MDAs from January 2020 to December 2020 was 38.94% while the average overall performance score for all MDAs for the period of January 2021 and June 2021 was 33.58%, reflecting a drop in the overall compliance for MDAs compared to performance in 2020.

Also in year 2020 and 2021, with the old and refreshed assessment scale, Standards Organisation of Nigeria ranked first position amongst five other top performing MDAs in overall compliance.

“In the period covering January 2020 to December 2020 and under the old assessment scale, the following MDAs emerged top five performers – Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (5th, 64.59%), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (4th, 69.96%), Nigeria Content Development Management Board (3rd, 70.58%), Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (2nd, 71.24%) while the Standards Organisation of Nigeria ranked first at 78.79%.

“With a refreshed assessment metric coming into force in January 2021, the top overall five performers for the period between January 2021 and June 2021 are National Pension Commission (5th, 58.07%), Nigeria Content Development Management Board (2nd, 68.04%), Nigerian Export-Import Bank ( 3rd, 68.86%), Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (2nd, 70.78%) while the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, once again, emerged first at 74.30%.

“In the same vein, MDA compliance to the 72-hr timeline mandated by the Federal Executive Council for complaint resolution on the ReportGov.NG platform leaves a lot of room for improvement.

“The report shows that all agencies fell short of the timeline for resolution” the statement signed by Special Adviser to the President, Ease of Doing Business/PEBEC Secretary, Dr Jumoke Oduwole reveals.

According to Dr Oduwole, “the result establishes the need to intensify EO1 compliance across all MDAs towards making Nigeria a progressively easier place to do business.

“As the PEBEC moves to consolidate the business climate reforms of the past six years, a renewed emphasis will be placed on improving the technology maturity level of MDAs for improved service delivery to all Nigerians.

“Furthermore, the ReportGov.NG platform will be strengthened with the enlisting of all PEBEC priority MDAs and wider communication of the platform to drive up feedback from the private sector” She added.

PEBEC Secretary said “the implementation of EO1 directives has never been more urgent given the heightened demand for automation of regulatory processes for improved service delivery in a pandemic stricken world.

“The EO1 report presents an analysis of the monthly reports submitted by MDAs. An MDAs’ overall EO1 performance score combines scores on the Efficiency and Transparency measures at a ratio of 70% and 30% respectively.

“Efficiency score is measured by MDA compliance to service delivery timelines, as well as compliance to the Default Approval and One Government directives of the EO1.

“Transparency is measured based on the existence of a website, an interactive online service portal, detailed content of services, timelines, costs, requirements, customer service contact details”.

In January 2021, the report for the first time introduced new sets of metrics to deepen the scope and depth of compliance.

The new metrics includes a stronger emphasis on functional social media channels for communication, as well as the incorporation of the Website Assessment Ranking of the Bureau for Public Service Reforms and Ethics and Integrity Scale of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

EO1, which came into force in May 2017, has been designed to strengthen the implementation of business climate reforms and to deepen collaboration among MDAs by instituting a systemic change management process for reforms.

The PEBEC was established in July 2016 and chaired by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo while the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo is serving as the Vice Chairman.

13 other Ministers, Secretary to the Government, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as representatives of the National Assembly, Lagos and Kano States, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and the private sector are members.