Stakeholders have raised concerns that policy inconsistency could undermine recent reforms aimed at improving Nigeria’s business environment, despite efforts by the Federal Government to support small businesses.

The warning came on the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank Group/IMF Spring Meetings during a session titled, ‘From Policy to Jobs: Creating Business-Enabling Regulatory Environments.’

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said government reforms, including the National Single Window (NSW) and new tax laws are designed to improve transparency and ease of doing business, particularly for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Oduwole said the first phase of the NSW would streamline import processes and enhance trade efficiency, while recent tax reforms had raised the exemption threshold for small businesses from N25 million to N100 million in yearly turnover.

She added that changes to the tax structure, including exemptions on value-added tax for some categories of businesses and the introduction of a unified development levy, were expected to reduce the burden on firms and support their growth.

However, private sector players cautioned that frequent regulatory changes could weaken the impact of these reforms.

Executive Director, Africa50 Mobility, Kader Hassane, said while large firms may adjust to shifting policies, smaller businesses often struggle with unpredictable regulatory environments.