The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has approved a nationwide initiative that will allow 3,500 small enterprises to register their business names at no cost.
The programme will be implemented across the country’s 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory with the commission positioning the move as a targeted intervention to ease the burden of business formalisation for micro and small enterprises.
According to the commission, the initiative is designed to remove a key barrier faced by early-stage entrepreneurs by eliminating registration fees, which often discourage informal businesses from entering the regulated space.
By reducing these costs, the CAC aims to bring more operators into the formal economy and improve their access to institutional support.
The Registrar-General of the commission, Hussaini Magaji, said the decision aligns with broader efforts to strengthen entrepreneurship and widen economic inclusion.
He noted that formal registration enables small businesses to engage more effectively with financial institutions, government agencies, and structured markets.
The initiative also forms part of the commission’s broader reflection on its evolution over more than three decades. From its early years as a manual registry, the CAC has transitioned into a largely digital organisation, prioritising automation, service efficiency, and regulatory transparency.
As part of this transformation, the commission disclosed plans to deepen its technology capacity through a collaboration with Google.
The partnership is expected to support improvements in the commission’s online platforms, with a focus on system stability, speed, and user experience.
In addition, the CAC is rolling out a redesigned website that introduces new digital tools aimed at simplifying regulatory interactions. These include an artificial intelligence–powered legal assistant to guide users through compliance requirements as well as a business name generator intended to help entrepreneurs identify and reserve suitable names more efficiently.
The commission said the combined rollout of free registrations and digital upgrades reflects its commitment to lowering entry barriers, modernising service delivery, and aligning Nigeria’s business environment with international best practices.
By encouraging more small enterprises to formalise their operations, the CAC believes the initiative will contribute to stronger data visibility, improved regulatory oversight, and broader economic participation as Nigeria continues to rely on small businesses as a key driver of growth and employment.
