Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has announced a free business name registration programme targeting 3,500 small businesses across the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The initiative was disclosed by the Registrar-General of the Commission, Hussaini Magaji, on Monday in Abuja during events marking the CAC’s 35th anniversary. According to the Commission, the move is aimed at lowering the cost of formalisation for micro and small enterprises and encouraging wider participation in Nigeria’s formal economy.
What the CAC is saying
Magaji said the programme reflects the Commission’s broader effort to promote entrepreneurship, reduce startup costs, and support inclusive economic growth.
“In the spirit of the celebration, the CAC announced free business name registration for 3,500 small businesses, to be distributed across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory,” the Commission said in a statement.
He added that the initiative is designed to encourage informal businesses to formalise their operations, which could improve access to government services, financing opportunities, and regulatory protection.
Formalisation push meets capacity limits
While the announcement reinforces the CAC’s longstanding push to expand Nigeria’s formal business base, the scale of the initiative highlights the limits of targeted interventions. With millions of micro and small enterprises operating informally across the country, the 3,500-business cap suggests the programme is more symbolic than systemic. Still, it aligns with the Commission’s strategy of using cost relief and digital tools to gradually reduce barriers to entry into the formal sector.
Magaji described the CAC at 35 as an institution shaped by “vision, innovation and sustained commitment to national development,” noting its evolution into a technology-driven regulator focused on efficiency, transparency and global best practices.
Google partnership and new digital tools
As part of its anniversary announcements, the CAC disclosed plans to sign a collaboration letter with Google aimed at strengthening its digital infrastructure and service delivery.
According to Magaji, the partnership is expected to improve portal performance and enhance the ease of doing business in Nigeria, particularly for first-time registrants.
He also announced the launch of a redesigned CAC website featuring new digital tools, including an AI Lawyer and a business name generator.
The AI Lawyer, according to the Commission, will provide instant guidance on CAC laws and procedures, while the business name generator is intended to simplify the process of reserving scalable business names.
Flashback: earlier free registration drive
The newly announced initiative builds on a similar free registration programme unveiled last year in partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
That programme targeted the free registration of 250,000 youth-led businesses. However, the CAC has not disclosed how many businesses have been successfully registered under the initiative since its announcement in October.
At the time, Magaji urged Nigerian youths to take advantage of the programme to formalise their businesses and improve long-term growth prospects.
What you should know
Even as it encourages new registrations, the CAC has signalled a tougher stance on post-registration compliance.
Over the weekend, the Commission disclosed that it deregistered more than 400,000 companies in 2025, citing prolonged inactivity and failure to meet statutory obligations.
According to Magaji, the mass deregistration was necessary to clean up the national companies register, remove non-compliant entities, and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s corporate regulatory framework.
The move underscores a dual regulatory approach: lowering entry barriers for new businesses while tightening enforcement to preserve the integrity and credibility of the register.
