Experts Call for Regulatory and Policy Measures to Strengthen Business Resilience

Emma Okonji

Policy experts, corporate leaders and senior public officials have urged a joint private‑public effort to unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s newly released National Industrial Policy (NIP) 2025. They argue that the country must now move from policy design to concrete industrial output and commercial scale.

The call came during a high‑level Policy Breakfast Session hosted by the commercial law firm Udo Udoma & Belo‑Osagie (UUBO) in Lagos. The event, titled “Translating Nigeria’s New Industrial Policy into Productivity: Navigating Legal & Regulatory Bottlenecks,” also marked the formal launch of the firm’s Government Relations and Public Policy (GRPP) Practice Group.

Senior Partner Mr. Aniekan Ukpanah explained that the GRPP practice was created to help corporate boards navigate the rapidly changing regulatory and political environment. He traced UUBO’s 43‑year history—from its beginnings in oil and gas, general corporate advisory and company secretarial services under founder Senator Udoma Udo Udoma—to its current focus on the ways state actions shape modern business models. “Our clients are operating where law meets policy, where regulation meets politics, where a decision made in Abuja on a Tuesday morning can alter the commercial dynamics for a boardroom in Lagos by Wednesday,” he said. Managing Partner Mrs. Jumoke Lambo welcomed attendees and noted that systemic bottlenecks and operational frictions drive key boardroom decisions, procurement renegotiations and large‑scale project financing.