The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) is set to launch a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution to address a backlog of more than 7,000 pending company registration applications. According to Registrar-General Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, the initiative is designed to accelerate approvals and enhance support for entrepreneurs grappling with delays on the Commission’s digital portal.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Kano, Magaji revealed that the AI system will handle tasks across compliance, registry operations, and customer service. This intervention is expected to ease bottlenecks that have persisted since the rollout of CAC’s upgraded registration platform earlier this year.
The Commission has come under fire from business owners citing problems such as failed payments, stalled applications, and difficulties uploading documents. These issues contributed to the current pileup of unprocessed registrations. Magaji acknowledged the rocky transition but stressed that the CAC has identified the challenges and is actively implementing fixes.
One of the most immediate benefits of the AI tool will be in customer support. The Commission currently receives nearly 3,000 emails daily. The new system will be able to read, analyze, and categorize those messages in under a minute, eliminate duplicates, and direct them to the right departments. By automating this process, staff will have more time to focus on functions requiring human judgment.
The CAC first introduced its AI-enabled registration platform in June as part of broader reforms to simplify business incorporation in Nigeria. The system was designed to provide instant name approvals, including automated alternatives when preferred names were unavailable. At the launch, officials described the reform as a major step toward end-to-end automation.
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By July, the portal was already processing more than 11,000 transactions daily, but the rising backlog underscored the need for further system upgrades to deliver consistent performance.
For Nigeria’s entrepreneurs, the rollout of this AI-powered agent could prove transformative. Faster processing means speedier access to incorporation documents essential for banking, tax compliance, and contractual engagements. If successful, the reform could strengthen Nigeria’s ease of doing business ranking and create a smoother path for startups seeking formal recognition.
The coming months will be pivotal as the CAC tests and scales the new technology. Entrepreneurs, investors, and regulators alike will be watching closely to see whether AI can finally resolve long-standing delays in Nigeria’s business registration system.
