Nigeria’s CAC targets 24-hour registration with new AI partnership

Nigeria is adding AI to its business registry. The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) says it can now register a company in 24 hours. It’s partnering with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to build out the tech that makes that possible.

The move comes as Nigeria continues a broader digital shift. More than 120 million Nigerians have received digital IDs through NIN registration. These IDs connect to banking, telecom, and public services. On the business side, CAC has registered over 3.1 million companies through its online platform. Now it’s trying to keep pace as the number grows.

At a recent meeting, CAC’s Registrar-General Hussaini Ishaq Magaji confirmed the agency’s plan to use AI and high-performance computing (HPC). NASENI, led by Khalil Suleiman Halilu, will provide the tech muscle.

“We need continuous innovation to grow our capacity,” Magaji said. “The system is handling more registrations than ever.” He wants AI to handle name searches, flag errors, and speed up review.

The claim is a 24-hour turnaround. In reality, some applications still take two to three days, especially during spikes.

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Halilu criticised private tech vendors who oversell solutions to public agencies. “They sell subpar or unnecessary tools,” he said. He promised NASENI would provide cheaper, more durable tech built in-house.

Bashir Aliyu, Halilu’s special adviser on ICT, says the partnership extends to other federal bodies. NITDA, the National Centre for AI Robotics, and the Ministry of Communications are also involved.

They are building on AI models used in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The goal is to adapt working systems, not start from scratch.

Faster registration helps businesses open bank accounts, pay taxes, and go formal. The CAC says more than 2,000 companies apply daily. Long delays create backlogs. AI could change that.

If the rollout works, Nigeria may be the first in West Africa to run AI-driven company registration. It also cuts costs by moving away from outsourced vendors.

This tech shift fits into Nigeria’s bigger plan. The government wants all business registrations to be digital by 2030. It’s also cleaning up old records and making room for small businesses like POS agents and roadside traders.

There’s no set launch date, but CAC says rollout will happen in stages. NASENI and CAC are still testing how to deploy the AI tools across the entire portal.