By Bright Chimezie Irem
For many years, registering a business in Nigeria felt like a difficult chore. The process was slow, stressful, and unnecessarily expensive. Many Nigerians had to rely on agents and “connections” to get a simple business certificate and often waiting weeks or even months.
That reality is now beginning to change. And it is happening quietly at the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Under the leadership of Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, CAC has launched a new digital registration platform that allows Nigerians to register their businesses online using only their National Identification Number. Once verified, a business certificate is generated and sent to the applicant’s email. In many cases, this entire process takes less than 30 minutes.
The platform uses artificial intelligence to assist with name reservations, document checks, and backup verification through photo ID matching. If the NIMC system fails to verify your NIN in time, the AI tool steps in to keep the process going.
This is a major shift.
It has significantly reduced the cost and time spent on business registration, eliminated unnecessary paperwork, and improved efficiency. More importantly, it is gradually restoring public trust in a system many had written off.
This improvement has also started to reflect in Nigeria’s ease of doing business performance. Business registration is often the first step for anyone trying to operate legally. When it becomes faster, cleaner, and more transparent, it removes a major barrier. Entrepreneurs feel encouraged. Investors pay attention. And informal businesses begin to formalize.
It may not look like much, but this simple reform is already moving the needle in the right direction.
Other government agencies have a lot to learn from CAC’s approach. From the Ministry of Interior to Immigration, Education and Transport, there is no reason why digital public service should still be a slow and frustrating experience.
The CAC model is not complicated. It is built on real functionality, user-friendliness, and constant improvement. It is a working system that can be studied and copied. Every other agency should take note and adapt it to their own services.
But with digital expansion comes new responsibility.
As more public systems go online, the risk of cyber threats increases. The CAC must invest in stronger cybersecurity: encryption, user protection, and 24-hour system monitoring. Personal and corporate data must be protected. A secure system is just as important as a fast one.
This reform is not perfect. But it is one of the clearest signs that things can work if there is the will to do better. For millions of Nigerians looking to register their businesses without stress or delay, this change is real and refreshing.
What matters now is keeping the momentum and challenging other agencies to raise their game. Because governance is not just about policies and positions. It is about systems that help people move forward without standing in line for hours.
If CAC can get it right, then others can, too.
Bright Chimezie Irem is a Governance and Systems Efficiency Analyst
