The Corporate Affairs Committee (CAC) officially launched the first business registration portal powered by artificial information from Nigeria (AI), a historic decision designed to accelerate business recording, improve data integrity and delete bureaucratic strangles in the regulatory landscape of the country.
The announcement was made by the general registrar and CEO of the CAC, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), during the Stakeholders forum of the 2025 commission held in Port Harcourt. The new system, already in its pilot phase, is part of a wider reform strategy to improve the ease of business in Nigeria by making the registration of companies more transparent, transparent and efficient.
The new portal marks a complete overhaul of the existing company recording portal (CRP). It incorporates AI features which allow instant reservations of the business name, eliminating delays traditionally associated with manual exams and approvals. The system uses smart algorithms to assess availability and, if necessary, automatically generate alternative name suggestions.
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Magaji compared the experience to the creation of a messaging account, declaring that entrepreneurs and business owners will now be able to book a business name and register in a few minutes. The platform also considerably reduces the amount of information necessary to start the process. Registration can now start with the national identification number (NIN) of a director or owner.
Once the NIN is checked – by real -time connection to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) – The system is designed to generate the certificate of incorporation and automatically send it to the applicant’s e -mail address within 30 minutes.
Overcome the nin verification bottlenecks
Despite automation, Magaji has recognized that some delays can still occur due to dependence on the third -party NIMC verifications. To mitigate this, the CAC has deployed a facial recognition technology based on AI and photo correspondence which acts as a rescue option when the NIN database does not respond. This ensures that the applicant can continue the registration process without being unduly hampered by infrastructure or connectivity failures on external platforms.
To protect company data and avoid unauthorized changes in business records, the CAC deploys an authentication verification with two factors (2FA) and a password (OTP) for all the modifications initiated on the portal. This means no modification of the files of a company, such as changes in shareholding, administration or address – can be carried out without the total consent of registered administrators, thus increasing responsibility and transparency.
Launch of the CAC to come to the fourth quarter 2025
In the future, the Commission finalizes the publication plans for the CAC Mobile application during the last quarter of 2025. This application will allow users to carry out the registration of the company, monitor the statement of the application, launch documents and recover certificates and other documents from mobile devices.
The mobile application should also be integrated into other digital services in the federal government, giving users a unified interface for inter-agencies, including tax registration at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and registration for national commercial incentives.
Within the framework of the reform, the CAC announced a revision of its service costs structure, which will come into force on August 1, 2025. Although no detail has been given if the costs increase or fall, Magaji noted that the adjustment is necessary to maintain the quality of the service provision, extend the digital infrastructure and ensure the financial sustainability of the technological transformation of the Commission.
Industry applauds innovation
The registration platform fed by the AI and the associated reforms were welcomed by the legal, financial and commercial stakeholders present at the Port Harcourt event. Representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Institute of Secretaries and Authorized Directors (ICSAN), the Institute of approved accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Nigerian association of small and medium -sized enterprises (NASME) praised the initiative.
Cordelia U. Eke of the NBA Port Harcourt branch said that the AI portal would considerably reduce the time and the cost of starting a business. Sir Sebastian Essien d’Ican noted that the decision is aligned with international corporate governance standards. The elder Dogala Sakpege de Nasm said that the ease of registration would encourage more micro and small businesses to formalize, which has access to credit and government support.
Dr. Mechi Brown, director of industry at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in the Rivers of Rivers, urged the governments of the States to supplement the efforts of the CAC by improving local registration processes for corporate premises and commercial licenses.
The CAC reforms comply with the national Nigeria digital economy road policy and the roadmap for the presidential abctid business environmental council (PEBEC), which aims to position Nigeria among the most efficient economies in the Doing Business index of the World Bank. Since the 2017 reform, Nigeria has introduced several initiatives to rationalize commercial procedures, but the integration of AI into regulatory operations marks a leap forward.
This new platform also arrives at a time when Nigeria is fighting the growth of the slow formal sector and a large informal economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), more than 60% of Nigerian companies operate informally, lacking credits, tax incentives and commercial opportunities. By making the recording faster and simpler, the CAC hopes to change this dynamic.
