…highlights Corporate Affairs Commission’s institutional evolution.
Abuja, Nigeria – The iNews Times reports that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) now processes close to 10,000 business registration requests daily, a dramatic increase from the “few hundreds” recorded in its early years, following the full deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) across its service platforms.
The commission, however, admitted that the transition to an AI-driven portal was not without challenges, acknowledging that 2025 witnessed disruptions and temporary setbacks in productivity and service delivery.
The Registrar-General of Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Magaji, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the commission’s 35th anniversary celebration, describing the milestone as a defining moment in Nigeria’s drive to formalise its economy.
The event, themed “Upholding Public Trust through Excellent Service Delivery,” highlighted the commission’s institutional evolution, resilience, and reform journey since its establishment in 1991.
Established by the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) of 1990 to replace the inefficient Company Registry, CAC operates as an autonomous body responsible for the incorporation and regulation of companies, business names, and incorporated trustees. Its operations were further modernised under CAMA 2020.
In his address, Magaji said Corporate Affairs Commission had evolved into a fully digital, end-to-end registry, accessible globally on a 24-hour, seven-day basis.
“When the Corporate Affairs Commission was established in 1991, our story began humbly, but with a bold mandate. At the time, CAC operated from a single office in Area 11, Garki, Abuja, serving the entire nation,” he said.
He recalled that business owners across the country were previously forced to travel to Abuja to register entities, as processes were manual and records paper-based.
“Service delivery was limited by geography and time. Yet, that single office laid the foundation for what has become one of Africa’s most dynamic and reform-driven corporate registries,” Magaji said.
According to him, CAC’s journey reflects a complete transformation.
“Fast-forward to 2026, and our services are no longer confined to one location. This is our evolution: from paper to portal, from queues to clicks, from stress to seamless, from one office to the world.”
Magaji attributed the surge in business registrations to tax reforms, government policies promoting the formalisation of informal businesses, and the rapid expansion of digital and social media-driven enterprises.
“To put this into perspective, CAC now receives close to 10,000 business registration requests daily, compared to only hundreds in the past,” he said.
He added that CAC’s complaint management system now handles an average of 5,000 inquiries daily through emails and call centres, stressing that such volumes would be impossible to manage without AI.
“Imagine the number of staff required to manage this volume. Only AI can effectively complement human capacity with the required speed, accuracy, and precision,” Magaji said.
He acknowledged that the AI transition posed significant challenges.
“I must acknowledge that 2025 was particularly challenging. The transition to an AI-driven portal came with disruptions and temporary setbacks in productivity and service delivery. Transformational change is never easy,” he said, thanking stakeholders and users for their patience.
Magaji described the deployment of AI at CAC as inevitable, noting that the commission had already become a global reference point in name reservation and business name registration, with turnaround times of as little as 10 minutes.
“The deployment of AI at Corporate Affairs Commission is not optional; it is necessary,” he said.
To deepen its digital transformation, the Registrar-General announced the signing of a Letter of Collaboration between CAC and Google, describing the partnership as strategic to enhancing service delivery and ease of doing business.
“Google brings global expertise and technological support that will further strengthen our systems, enhance portal performance, and deepen the ease of doing business in Nigeria,” he said.
He also unveiled a redesigned Corporate Affairs Commission website (www.cac.gov.ng) featuring new AI-powered tools, including an AI Lawyer, which provides instant guidance on CAC laws and procedures, and an AI Name Generator, which helps users generate and reserve scalable business names.
As part of its anniversary initiatives, the commission approved free business name registration for 3,500 small businesses across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Other initiatives announced include scholarships for the six best corporate law students from each campus of the Nigerian Law School in 2026, donation of 120 mattresses to an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, support for orphanages, and a 25 per cent commemorative staff bonus.
Special car and housing loan schemes were also approved, alongside board-recommended promotions for pioneer and retiring officers.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Commerce, Ahmed Munir, praised Corporate Affairs Commission’s digital reforms, saying they had simplified business registration and empowered millions of entrepreneurs to transition into the formal economy.
He assured the commission of legislative support to further strengthen its digital infrastructure and transparency.
Similarly, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, pledged technical backing for CAC’s AI reforms, stressing that institutional transformation in the modern era depends on embracing artificial intelligence.
Established in 1991, the Corporate Affairs Commission remains central to the Federal Government’s efforts to improve Nigeria’s ease-of-doing-business ranking, expand the tax base, and formalise micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises nationwide.
