CAC Aims 10minutes Business Registration

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has unveiled its Artificial Intelligence-powered Companies Registration Portal (ICRP), setting an ambitious target of completing business registration in less than 10 minutes.

Registrar-General and Chief Executive Officer, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), announced this at the 2025 CAC Management Retreat in Kaduna where he also marked his second anniversary in office.

Magaji said the launch of the Intelligent Companies Registration Portal on June 30, 2025, represents a major milestone in Nigeria’s corporate registry reforms, describing it as a “revolution in service delivery.”

According to him, the portal allows customers to reserve names, register businesses, and instantly generate certificates, all without staff intervention. “If someone had told you in 2022 that this was possible, you would have said ‘impossible.’ Yet here we are,” he said.

The Registrar-General revealed that the innovation emerged after the Commission overcame years of portal failures and technical challenges that nearly crippled operations. “When I assumed office in 2023, the system was overstretched. It crashed repeatedly and mixed up company data. We had to change the damaged engine of an aircraft mid-air,” he said.

Magaji praised the CAC’s service provider, Oasis, for working with the Commission to deliver the new AI-driven system against all odds. “Even the Managing Director of Oasis cannot explain how we achieved it so seamlessly. It was God’s grace,” he added.

He disclosed that the next phase of AI deployment will involve specialized CAC-branded AI tools to assist in compliance monitoring, registry approvals, and customer service operations. “Our call-centre emails will soon be handled by AI agents that read, comprehend, and redirect thousands of messages in minutes,” Magaji stated.

The Registrar-General said the Commission’s AI strategy draws from the United Kingdom’s Companies House model, which is also adopting AI to enhance productivity and transparency. “We have embraced similar principles. AI will not replace human judgment — it will enhance it,” he explained.

Magaji said CAC has introduced new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across departments and state offices to align human tasks with AI-driven workflows, ensuring that “no one is left behind.”

He also reviewed progress under his Four-Point Agenda: staff welfare, capacity building, institutional strengthening, and revenue generation. “We have ended salary discrimination, paid HMO and pension contributions in full, and procured new staff buses and 2025-model cars,” he noted.

On capacity building, Magaji said CAC had recorded more overseas training and nationwide workshops this year than in its 35-year history. “Over 700 local training sessions have been conducted, and counting,” he said proudly.

He added that the adoption of AI has eliminated human delays and external influence in processing applications. “Every decision is logged; even the Registrar-General cannot override the system. This is how we build trust,” he stressed.

Magaji also attributed the Commission’s improved revenue drive to divine intervention. “Don’t ask me how we reviewed fees without pushback, it is your prayers. God sent me to take CAC to another level,” he said jokingly.

He urged staff to see artificial intelligence as a partner that simplifies work and enhances efficiency. “Instead of sifting through hundreds of files manually, focus on complex cases and customer relations. AI is your ally, not your rival,” he said.

Magaji called for integrity in implementing the new system, warning that “AI can flag anomalies, but only our human values can ensure fairness.”

He commended Directors, Heads of Departments, and State Coordinators for embracing reforms and urged them to sustain the transformation.

“As we move from digital to intelligent registry, let us consolidate our gains and build an institution that future generations will be proud of,” Magaji stressed.