Policy reforms are often celebrated at announcement, but their true value lies in measurable outcomes. This was the central theme at the 2026 NBA-SBL Conference. BusinessDay’s Legal Business Editor, Nkem Umeadi-Onyedika, spoke with the CPC Chair and Vice-Chair on the theme, expectations, and the legal profession’s role in ensuring reforms deliver lasting impact.
Oludare Senbore
1. This year’s theme, “Beyond Reforms: Measuring Policy Impact,” signals a shift from policymaking to accountability and outcomes. What informed this thematic direction, and why is it particularly relevant for Nigeria at this time?
This thematic direction was informed by the need to shift the national conversation from the announcement of reforms to their real-world effects. In recent years, Nigeria has introduced a wide range of economic, fiscal, regulatory, and institutional changes. That is important, but the more critical question now is whether these reforms are producing measurable improvements in the business climate, investor confidence, job creation, institutional efficiency, and economic growth.
It is particularly relevant at this time because businesses and citizens are already feeling the direct impact of these policy shifts. There is therefore a strong need for a conversation that is not only about intent, but about outcomes. Nigeria needs a framework for asking hard questions: What has changed? What is working? What is not? And how do we ensure reforms translate into tangible benefits for the economy and for society?
