Onome Amuge
Nigeria’s push to stabilise its business environment received a symbolic boost recently as the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) emerged winner of the Business Advocacy and Partnership Award at the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) 2025 Awards and Gala in Abuja.
PEBEC, which has spent the past few years modernising regulatory systems, digitising agency processes, and pushing for investor-friendly reforms, used this year’s event to underscore the importance of evidence-based engagement, a strategy that places industry groups like NECA at the centre of policy design rather than at the margins.
Accepting the award, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, NECA’s director-general, said the honour reflects not only the association’s long-standing advocacy for a predictable regulatory climate but also the increasing need for structured collaboration as Nigeria confronts macroeconomic headwinds.
“We are honoured by this recognition. NECA remains fully committed to deepening constructive dialogue, advancing evidence-based advocacy, and championing reforms that unlock the full potential of the private sector,” Oyerinde said.
Oyerinde added that the recognition provides renewed motivation for NECA to expand its partnerships and work more closely with the government to strengthen institutions, attract investment, and support national development.
NECA was formed in 1957 to provide a forum for the government to consult with private sector employers on socio-economic and labour policy issues. It is, therefore, the umbrella organisation of employers in the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria.
For PEBEC, rewarding such collaboration is part of a strategy to rebuild policy credibility, encourage institutional discipline, and signal that private-sector engagement remains central to Nigeria’s reform journey.
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