Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has revealed that its new Artificial Intelligence‑based business registration portal, deployed on June 30, now handles over 11,000 registrations and compliance filings daily even as it grapples with early technical challenges and impending fee adjustments.
Since launch, the portal has processed a staggering 8,000 name reservations in a single day, an operation that previously took up to two weeks via manual processes, signaling a major leap in efficiency.
Lightning-fast registration turnaround
Leveraging real-time National Identity Number (NIN) verification, applicants can now receive incorporation certificates via email in under 30 minutes, thanks to innovations like AI-driven ID photo matching when the NIMC’s systems are offline.
However, despite these gains, users particularly legal practitioners, have reported access difficulties. These include payment processing glitches via REMITA and ProTax, and intermittent failures in NIN verification due to external platform downtime. CAC says identity confirmation delays stem from NIMC’s outages, while payment issues are linked to dependencies on third-party gateways.
furthermore, in line with Nigeria’s 2023 Data Protection Act, CAC introduced one-time passcode (OTP) authentication for every transaction, deterring unauthorized access. Additionally, a new help‑desk portal now handles some 3,000 user emails daily, triggering rapid software updates to fix platform hitches.
CAC confirmed that a revised service fee schedule, announced in June, will take effect on August 1, 2025. The commission said the adjustments are necessary to support ongoing tech improvements and infrastructure upgrades.
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Voices from the profession
While CAC frames the rollout as transformative, several lawyers told Premium Times the portal has hindered routine operations, blocking name searches, filings, and annual returns during extended service outages. However, CAC has countered that many of these complaints stem from the transitional phase, affirming the system is “now working optimally”
CAC’s new AI-enabled portal marks a major shift, cutting business registration times drastically and tightening security. For startups and SMEs, this means faster go-to-market timelines. However, anticipate occasional delays tied to third-party tech issues and a moderate fee hike from August 1. Overall, the portal represents a net positive for Nigeria’s entrepreneurial landscape, provided the CAC continues to resolve integration kinks in real time.
