In the spirit of celebration of its 35th anniversary, the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC), has approved free Business Name Registration for 3,500 Small and Medium Enterprises across the States of the Federation.
Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, Registrar-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC), announced this on Monday at the opening ceremony of the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Commission in Abuja.
Magaji explained that these free business name registrations would be distributed across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory,Abuja.
He also announced Scholarships for six best corporate Law students each from the six campuses of the Nigerian Law School — for 2026, in support of corporate law studies.
As part of activities to celebrate 35th anniversary of the Commission, the Registrar-General announced the donation of 120 mattresses to an IDP Camp as well as support for orphanages as part of its corporate social responsibility.
In recognition of staff who have driven various reforms in the Commission, he gave
a Commemorative Staff Bonus of 25% of one month’s gross salary, applicable for February this month only, as well as
special car and housing loans for staff.
Commenting on the giant strides made by the Commission in the last 35 years, he pointed out that it has transitioned from manual operations to digital.
Going down the memory lane, he said: “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.
“To register a business or an association in Nigeria, citizens had to travel from every part of the country to Abuja.
“Processes were manual, records were paper-based, and 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.
“Fast-forward to 2026, and the CAC story has evolved dramatically.
“Today, our services are no longer confined to one location. They are accessible across Nigeria and around the world — anywhere, anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
“This is our evolution.From Paper to Portal.From Queues to Clicks.From Stress to Seamless.From One Office to the World.”
In its unwavering commitment to global best practices, he stated that CAC has deployed Artificial Intelligence (AI) to further improve turn-around time and service delivery.
While acknowledging that the transition to an AI-driven portal came with disruptions and temporary setbacks in productivity and service delivery in some areas in 2025, he appreciated stakeholders and customers for their patience, understanding, and confidence that the desired outcomes would emerge.
According to him, “Let me state clearly:The deployment of AI at CAC is not optional; it is necessary.
“Business registration volumes have grown exponentially, driven by factors such as tax reforms, the monetisation of social media and digital businesses and government policies promoting the formalisation of informal enterprises.
“To put this into perspective, CAC now receives close to 10,000 business registration requests daily, compared to only hundreds in the past.
“In addition, our complaint management system — through emails and call centres — now handles an average of 5,000 inquiries every single day.
“Imagine the number of staff required to manage this volume manually.Only AI can effectively complement human capacity with the required speed, accuracy, and precision.”
He revealed the signing of a Letter of Collaboration between CAC and Google, aimed at strengthening the Commission’s technology framework and improving service delivery through partnership with one of the world’s leading technology companies.
“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.
“As we celebrate the past, we are even more inspired by the future — one driven by technology, efficiency, transparency, and global standards,” he said.
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