By Felix Khanoba
The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) says its investment facilitation and incentive programmes have delivered measurable economic outcomes in 2025, including the creation of thousands of direct jobs and improved investor services.
According to the Commission, projects supported through its incentives and facilitation platforms generated more than 5,400 direct jobs during the year, spanning sectors such as manufacturing, information and communication technology (ICT), agro-processing and renewable energy.
The Executive Secretary of NIPC, Aisha Rimi, disclosed this on Thursday at the third edition of the NIPC Media Parley and Meet-and-Greet with journalists held in Abuja.
Speaking through the Director of Strategy and Services, Mr. Abubakar Yerima, Rimi said the Commission’s priority has been to ensure that investor interest translates into concrete projects capable of creating jobs and generating revenue.
She revealed that 17 companies granted Pioneer Status Incentives (PSI) in the second quarter of the year created 3,016 direct jobs, while approvals and certifications issued in the third quarter accounted for an additional 2,416 jobs.
Rimi added that investor facilitation under the One-Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) recorded notable improvements, with all business registrations in the first quarter completed within 48 hours.
Over the course of the year, she said the Commission handled more than 2,000 investor enquiries, facilitated hundreds of business registrations and approved several expatriate quotas, developments she described as strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s investment environment.
Beyond incentives, Rimi noted that NIPC expanded the National Investment Certification Programme for States, upgraded the Single Window Investment Platform and partnered with Nairametrics to enhance access to real-time investment data.
On international engagement, she said Nigeria’s investment profile was elevated through platforms such as the African CEO Forum, BRICS-related meetings and business engagements with Brazil and Sweden. These efforts, she noted, yielded outcomes including a major Memorandum of Understanding between Dangote Industries and Mitsui & Co., as well as a formal partnership with ApexBrasil.
Looking ahead, Rimi said the Commission is preparing to migrate from the Pioneer Status Incentive framework to the Economic Development Incentive (EDI) by January 2026, while also scaling investment facilitation, strengthening competitiveness at the sub-national level and deepening investor aftercare services.
“Our objective is clear; we are focused on converting investment interest into tangible projects that create jobs, conserve value and advance Nigeria’s economic priorities,” she said.
She also reaffirmed NIPC’s commitment to transparency and sustained engagement with the media, describing credible reporting as essential to investor confidence and Nigeria’s global positioning.
Also speaking at the event, the Commission’s Incentive Administrator, Mrs. Uchenna Okonkwo, said Nigeria’s investment incentive regime has been redesigned with the introduction of the Economic Development Incentive to replace the Pioneer Status Incentive and better support long-term, capital-intensive projects.
Okonkwo explained that the new structure consists of two instruments — a Fiscal Incentive and the EDI. She said the Fiscal Incentive provides corporate income tax relief for three years, while the EDI operates as a performance-based tax credit rather than a tax holiday.
According to her, the EDI runs for an initial five-year period and is renewable for another five years.
She said qualifying investors earn tax credits equivalent to five per cent of qualifying capital expenditure, applied against annual tax liabilities under the National Tax Act 2025, with additional credits available for further investments.
Okonkwo added that firms which reinvest 100 per cent of profits within five years qualify for a second five-year extension, while unused credits can be carried forward for up to five additional years. She noted that any company investing at least N100 million is eligible, regardless of sector.
She disclosed that between 2017 and the second quarter of 2025, the Pioneer Status Incentive recorded 693 applications and 304 approvals, attracting N8.7 trillion in investments and creating 58,897 jobs, with manufacturing accounting for the largest share.
In her remarks, the Director of Investor Relations, Mrs. Kayode Lovelina, described the department as NIPC’s investment support arm, responsible for investment facilitation, incentives administration and management of the One-Stop Investment Centre.
She said the investment facilitation process focuses on engaging investors, identifying operational challenges and resolving them through collaboration across government agencies.
According to her, this is largely executed through the OSIC and OSIC Lab platforms, which bring relevant agencies and investors together to address bottlenecks, with unresolved issues escalated to the Presidency.
Kayode noted that several companies, including firms from Turkey and India, benefited from the interventions during the year.
She also highlighted the Commission’s proactive aftercare programme, under which NIPC engages existing investors directly rather than waiting for complaints.
She said that in 2025, the programme covered 10 states in the South-South and South-East, reaching about 30 companies to assess performance, resolve challenges and support policy development in partnership with state investment agencies.
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