The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has approved free business registration for 3,500 small businesses nationwide as part of activities marking its 35th anniversary.
The initiative was announced on Monday in Abuja by the Registrar-General of the Commission, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), during the opening ceremony of the anniversary celebration.
Magaji said the programme is aimed at easing the cost of formalising small businesses and supporting entrepreneurship, particularly among micro and small-scale enterprises across the country.
He described the 35th anniversary as a milestone that reflects the Commission’s evolution from a manual, centralised registration system to a fully digital corporate registry with global access.
According to him, in the early years of the Commission, entrepreneurs were required to travel to Abuja to register businesses, with records processed manually. He noted that the CAC has since transitioned into one of Africa’s most advanced corporate registries, offering 24-hour online services.
Magaji disclosed that the Commission now processes close to 10,000 business registration applications daily, compared to a few hundred in its early years, while its customer support platforms handle about 5,000 enquiries each day.
He attributed the growth in registrations to digital reforms, including the deployment of an artificial intelligence-driven registration portal in 2025, which he said was introduced to improve efficiency and manage rising demand.
He added that despite initial challenges, the adoption of artificial intelligence was necessary to enhance speed, accuracy and service delivery.
As part of ongoing reforms, Magaji announced a partnership between the CAC and Google to strengthen the Commission’s technology infrastructure and improve ease of doing business through enhanced portal performance.
The Commission also unveiled a redesigned website featuring an AI-powered legal assistant known as the CAMA Lawyer, which provides instant guidance on corporate regulations and compliance requirements. A business name generator was also introduced to help entrepreneurs identify available and scalable business names.
Magaji revealed that more than four million businesses were registered between 2024 and 2025, attributing the surge to digitalisation and policies promoting business formalisation.
Beyond free registration, the CAC announced additional corporate social responsibility initiatives, including scholarships for outstanding corporate law students at the Nigerian Law School, donations to internally displaced persons and orphanages, and staff welfare programmes such as commemorative bonuses and special loan facilities.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, commended the CAC for strengthening Nigeria’s business environment through reforms that promote transparency and investment.
He urged the Commission to deepen innovation through emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain to further enhance trust and global competitiveness.
The anniversary event brought together government officials, corporate stakeholders and industry players to mark 35 years of corporate regulation in Nigeria.
CAC free business registration
