NESG launches portal to help businesses track bills before National Assembly

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has launched a digital portal to help businesses track proposed legislation before the National Assembly and assess its potential impact on investment, operations and the cost of doing business.

The Business Bill Intelligence Portal, developed by the Ernest Shonekan Centre for Legislative Reforms and Economic Development (ESC), was unveiled at the ongoing 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, themed “Growth that Works: Delivering Jobs, Productivity and Shared Prosperity”.

The platform is designed to make legislative information more accessible, helping businesses and other stakeholders identify relevant bills, monitor their progress and engage with proposed changes that could affect the business environment.

Portal tracks bills through legislative stages

According to NESG, Proposed laws can influence regulatory requirements, market access, investment decisions and operating costs. However, identifying relevant bills and following their progress through the legislative process can be challenging for businesses.

The new portal, NESG said, provides search and filtering tools that allow users to identify bills of interest and track them through different stages of consideration.

• Its features include a dashboard showing bills by legislative stage and individual bill pages containing their current status, latest recorded action and legislative history.

Speaking at the launch, Kyari Bukar, chairman of the ESC, said the initiative would strengthen participation in legislative reforms and help align lawmaking with Nigeria’s economic development priorities.

• “Laws and proposed legislation can have significant implications for businesses, investment and economic growth,” Bukar said.

He added that the Centre sought to promote laws that improve the business environment, encourage investment and create economic opportunities while protecting the public interest.

• ESC Executive Director Uchenna Ogbonna said the portal was designed for a broad range of users, including businesses, citizens, civil society organisations, journalists, researchers, government agencies, legislators and National Assembly staff.

Businesses can use the platform to monitor proposals affecting their industries, while citizens can follow bills with implications for their lives. Legislators and researchers can also access the information to support their work.

NESG expands legislative engagement

The portal builds on the NESG’s efforts to strengthen engagement between the private sector and lawmakers through legislative reform initiatives.

• In 2016, the group established the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) to facilitate dialogue between legislators and businesses on reforms aimed at improving the business environment.
• The NESG later supported the establishment of the State Assemblies Business Environment Roundtable (SABER), extending the engagement to state legislatures.

Established in 2023, the ESC focuses on research, advocacy and legislative reforms that support economic development. The new portal extends this work by providing stakeholders with a central platform for monitoring proposed legislation.

Summit highlights economic policy priorities

The portal’s launch took place during the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, where discussions also covered the Federal Government’s economic policy priorities.

• At the event, Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said the government was targeting single-digit inflation before the end of 2027, with the aim of creating conditions for lower interest rates and faster economic growth.

The launch of the Business Bill Intelligence Portal adds another tool for monitoring developments relevant to businesses, particularly proposed laws that could influence investment decisions, operating conditions and economic activity.