The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has formally launched Nigeria’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered company registration portal, a landmark move designed to accelerate business registration, improve data integrity, and remove bureaucratic bottlenecks in the country’s corporate regulatory landscape.
The announcement was made by the Registrar-General and CEO of the CAC, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), during the Commission’s 2025 Stakeholders Forum held in Port Harcourt. The new system, already in its pilot phase, is part of a broader reform strategy to enhance the ease of doing business in Nigeria by making company registration more seamless, transparent, and efficient.
The new portal marks a complete overhaul of the existing Company Registration Portal (CRP). It incorporates AI functionalities that allow for instant business name reservations, eliminating delays traditionally associated with manual reviews and approvals. The system uses intelligent algorithms to assess availability and, when necessary, automatically generate alternative name suggestions.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
Magaji compared the experience to setting up an email account, stating that entrepreneurs and business owners will now be able to reserve a business name and proceed with registration in a matter of minutes. The platform also significantly reduces the amount of information required to begin the process. Registration can now commence with just the National Identification Number (NIN) of a director or proprietor.
Once the NIN is verified—through 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 email address within 30 minutes.
Overcoming NIN Verification Bottlenecks
Despite the automation, Magaji acknowledged that some delays may still occur due to reliance on third-party verifications from NIMC. To mitigate this, the CAC has deployed AI-based facial recognition and photo ID-matching technology that acts as a fallback option when the NIN database is unresponsive. This ensures that the applicant can continue the registration process without being unduly hindered by infrastructure or connectivity failures on external platforms.
To protect company data and prevent unauthorized changes to corporate records, the CAC is rolling out Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and One-Time Password (OTP) verification for all changes initiated on the portal. This means no alteration to a company’s records—such as changes in shareholding, directorship, or address—can be made without full consent from registered directors, thereby increasing accountability and transparency.
CAC Mobile App Launch Coming in Q4 2025
Looking ahead, the Commission is finalizing plans to release the CAC Mobile App in the final quarter of 2025. This application will allow users to carry out company registration, monitor application status, initiate filings, and retrieve certificates and other documents from mobile devices.
The mobile app is also expected to integrate with other federal government digital services, giving users a unified interface for cross-agency processes, including tax registration with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and enrollment in national business incentives schemes.
As part of the reform, the CAC has announced a revision of its service fee structure, which will come into effect on August 1, 2025. While no specifics were given on whether fees would rise or fall, Magaji noted that the adjustment is necessary to maintain service delivery quality, expand digital infrastructure, and ensure the financial sustainability of the Commission’s tech-driven transformation.
Industry Applauds Innovation
The AI-powered registration platform and associated reforms were welcomed by legal, financial, and business stakeholders present at the Port Harcourt event. Representatives from the Nigerian Bar Association, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSAN), Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) praised the initiative.
Cordelia U. Eke of the NBA Port Harcourt Branch said the AI portal would drastically reduce the time and cost of starting a business. Sir Sebastian Essien of ICSAN noted that the move aligns with international corporate governance standards. Elder Dogala Sakpege of NASME said the ease of registration would incentivize more micro and small businesses to formalize, thereby gaining access to credit and government support.
Dr. Mechi Brown, Director of Industry at the Rivers State Ministry of Commerce and Industry, urged state governments to complement CAC’s efforts by improving local registration processes for business premises and trade licenses.
The CAC’s reforms are in line with Nigeria’s National Digital Economy Policy and the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) roadmap, which aims to position Nigeria among the top-performing economies in the World Bank’s Doing Business Index. Since the 2017 reform drive, Nigeria has introduced several initiatives to streamline business procedures, but the integration of AI into regulatory operations marks a significant leap forward.
This new platform also comes at a time when Nigeria is battling sluggish formal sector growth and a large informal economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), over 60% of Nigerian enterprises operate informally, missing out on credit, tax incentives, and trade opportunities. By making registration faster and simpler, the CAC hopes to change that dynamic.