The Nigerian business environment is characterised by significant governance challenges and systemic vulnerabilities that impede enterprise resilience and sustainable growth. A coherent diagnostic framework to assess and navigate these complex, interrelated issues is currently lacking. This policy brief aims to develop and present a novel diagnostic framework for analysing governance and resilience within the Nigerian business context. Its objective is to provide policymakers and business leaders with a structured tool for identifying critical intervention points. The framework was constructed through a synthesis of institutional analysis, review of extant business climate reports, and structured engagement with sector experts. This integrative approach identified core dimensions and diagnostic indicators. The diagnostic framework identifies three core, interdependent dimensions: institutional governance, operational resilience, and strategic adaptability. A predominant theme from its application is that weaknesses in institutional governance, particularly regulatory unpredictability, undermine over 70% of firms' attempts to build long-term operational resilience. Effective navigation of the business environment requires simultaneous attention to institutional governance deficits and firm-level resilience capacities, as these are inextricably linked. Policymakers should adopt the diagnostic framework to prioritise reforms that enhance regulatory predictability and transparency. Business associations should utilise the tool to conduct sector-specific resilience audits and advocate for targeted institutional improvements. business environment, diagnostic framework, governance, institutional analysis, Nigeria, resilience This brief contributes a novel, integrated diagnostic framework that uniquely connects macro-level institutional governance with micro-firm resilience strategies, offering a practical tool for targeted policy and managerial intervention.
Adeyemi et al. (Sat,) studied this question.