The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has called for a strong national policy framework to protect investors and employers, describing them as the lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy whose rights and investments remain inadequately safeguarded.
In a new policy brief titled “Protecting Investors and Employers: A National Policy Imperative,” CPPE warned that the absence of a comprehensive protection framework for those who create jobs, mobilise capital, and drive innovation undermines investor confidence and economic stability.
According to CPPE’s Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muda Yusuf, while workers and employees enjoy substantial legal safeguards, investors and employers face mounting risks arising from unrestrained industrial actions, arbitrary regulatory decisions, and bureaucratic excesses.
“The real sector is especially exposed, given its large workforce, high fixed costs, and significant sunk investments. We must ensure that industrial relations are governed by law, due process, and mutual respect,” Yusuf said.
The policy brief identified four major areas of vulnerability — weak legal protection, unrestrained union actions, regulatory unpredictability, and bureaucratic bottlenecks — which together erode Nigeria’s competitiveness and discourage both local and foreign investment.
CPPE proposed the enactment of a dedicated Investor and Employer Protection Act to provide a legal foundation for safeguarding investors’ rights.
The Act, according to the Centre, should codify obligations among investors, employers, regulators, and unions; prohibit intimidation and unauthorised shutdowns; and establish restitution mechanisms for violations.
The organisation also recommended that the Industrial Arbitration Panel be strengthened for faster dispute resolution and that an Independent Investment Ombudsman Office be created to mediate investor–government conflicts.
On labour relations, CPPE urged reforms to ensure union accountability and proportionality of industrial actions, particularly in essential sectors such as energy, transport, health, and ICT, where strikes should be restricted or subject to compulsory arbitration.
Furthermore, the Centre called for greater regulatory and policy stability, including mandatory investor impact assessments before major policy shifts, a no-retroactivity rule for new regulations, and a five-year policy roadmap to provide predictability for long-term investors.
Other recommendations include digitising business licensing and compliance processes, establishing a Business Rights Tribunal, and launching a public transparency dashboard to track industrial actions and regulatory decisions in real time.
CPPE expressed optimism that implementing the proposed framework would restore investor confidence, attract capital inflows, stimulate job creation, and strengthen Nigeria’s economic resilience.
“Protecting investors and employers is not a privilege — it is a national economic imperative,” Yusuf emphasised. “This is not about weakening labour unions, but about balancing rights and responsibilities to foster sustainable growth, social stability, and national security.”
