The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC, says it has tracked measurable economic impact with thousands of jobs created and faster investor services delivered across 2025.
The Commission noted that through the administration of investment incentives and facilitation platforms, NIPC-supported projects created over 5,400 direct jobs across manufacturing, ICT, agro-processing and renewable energy within the year.
Executive Secretary of NIPC, Aisha Rimi, stated this on Thursday at the third edition of the NIPC Media Parley and Meet-and-Greet with the press, in Abuja.
Represented by NIPC’s Director of Strategy and Services, Mr Abubakar Yerima, Rimi said the agency’s core focus has been on translating investor interest into real, job-creating and revenue-generating projects.
She disclosed that in the second quarter alone, 17 companies granted Pioneer Status Incentives, PSI, generated 3,016 direct jobs, while approvals and certifications issued in the third quarter added another 2,416 jobs.
According to her, investor facilitation through the One-Stop Investment Centre, OSIC, has also improved significantly, with 100 per cent of business registrations processed within 48 hours in the first quarter.
Across the year, the Commission processed more than 2,000 investor enquiries, facilitated hundreds of business registrations and approved hundreds of expatriate quotas, reinforcing confidence in Nigeria’s investment climate.
Rimi noted that beyond incentives, the Commission has strengthened institutional frameworks, expanded the National Investment Certification Programme for States, upgraded the Single Window Investment Platform, and partnered with Nairametrics to improve real-time investment data transparency.
On global engagement, the NIPC boss said Nigeria’s visibility was significantly boosted through strategic platforms including the African CEO Forum, BRICS-related engagements and business forums with Brazil and Sweden, leading to concrete outcomes such as a major MoU between Dangote Industries and Mitsui & Co., and a formal partnership with ApexBrasil.
While looking ahead, she said the Commission is preparing to transition from the Pioneer Status Incentive to the Economic Development Incentive framework by January 2026.
She said that will happen while scaling investment facilitation, strengthening subnational competitiveness and deepening aftercare support for investors.
“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 reaffirmed NIPC’s commitment to transparency and collaboration with the media, describing credible reporting as critical to building investor confidence and positioning Nigeria more boldly in global markets.
Also speaking, the Commission’s Incentive Administrator, Mrs. Uchenna Okonkwo, said Nigeria’s investment incentive regime has been restructured with the introduction of the Economic Development Incentive, EDI, to replace the Pioneer Status Incentive, PSI, and better support long-term, capital-intensive investments.
Okonkwo explained that the framework has been streamlined to two instruments: a Fiscal Incentive and the EDI, adding that the Fiscal Incentive offers corporate income tax relief for three years, while the EDI is a performance-based tax credit, not a tax holiday.
According to her, the EDI runs for an initial five years, renewable for another five.
She noted that investors that meet sector-specific capital expenditure thresholds earn tax credits equivalent to five per cent of qualifying investments, applied against annual tax liabilities under the National Tax Act 2025.
She said additional qualifying investments attract further incremental credits, stating that firms that reinvest 100 per cent of profits within five years qualify for a second five-year extension, while unused credits may be carried forward for up to five additional years.
She added that any company investing at least N100 million qualifies, regardless of sector.
Okonkwo said between 2017 and Q2 2025, PSI recorded 693 applications, 304 approvals, N8.7 trillion in investments and 58,897 jobs, with manufacturing leading.
On her part, the Director of Investor Relations, Mrs. Kayode Lovelina, described the department as NIPC’s investment support arm, with responsibilities spanning investment facilitation, incentives administration and the One-Stop Investment Centre, OSIC.
She explained that investment facilitation focuses on engaging investors, identifying operational challenges and resolving them through an all-of-government approach.
According to her, this is delivered mainly through the OSIC and OSIC Lab platforms, which bring together relevant government agencies and affected investors to jointly address bottlenecks, adding that issues unresolved at agency level are escalated to the Presidency.
She said several companies, including firms from Turkey and India, have benefited from the intervention this year.
Kayode also highlighted the department’s proactive aftercare programme, under which NIPC visits existing investors rather than waiting for complaints.
She disclosed that in 2025, the programme covered 10 states across the South-South and South-East, reaching about 30 companies to assess performance, resolve challenges and support policy articulation in collaboration with state investment agencies.
On incentives, she noted that NIPC is working with FIRS and relevant ministries to transition from the Pioneer Status Incentive to the Economic Development Incentive under the new National Tax Act.
