The Corporate Affairs Commission has announced free business name registration for 3,500 small businesses across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Registrar-General of the Commission, Hussaini Magaji, disclosed this in a post on the commission’s X handle on Monday.
According to Magaji, the initiative is aimed at reducing the cost of business formalisation for micro and small enterprises and encouraging more entrepreneurs to operate within the formal economy.
He said the move reflects the commission’s commitment to promoting entrepreneurship, lowering start-up costs, and supporting inclusive economic growth across the country.
“In the spirit of the celebration, the CAC has announced free business name registration for 3,500 small businesses, to be distributed across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory,” the commission said in a statement.
Magaji explained that the programme is designed to encourage small businesses to formalise their operations, which would enable them to access government services, financing opportunities, and wider economic participation.
Reflecting on the commission’s journey over the past 35 years, the registrar-general described the CAC as a product of vision, innovation, and sustained commitment to national development.
He noted that the commission has evolved into a technology-driven agency with a strong focus on efficiency, transparency, and compliance with global best practices.
Meanwhile, the registrar general revealed that the CAC would sign a collaboration letter with Google to strengthen its digital infrastructure and service delivery.
He said the partnership is expected to improve portal performance and further enhance the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
Magaji also announced the launch of a redesigned CAC website featuring new digital tools, including an AI Lawyer and a business name generator.
According to him, the AI Lawyer will provide instant guidance on CAC laws and procedures, while the business name generator will simplify the reservation of scalable business names.
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- Target: 250,000 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
- Portal: portal.smedan.gov.ng.
- Requirements: NIN, valid email, and business information.
- Process:
Sign up on the SMEDAN portal, select “No” when asked if the business is already registered with CAC, fill in the details, and complete verification
- Outcome: Upon successful registration on the SMEDAN portal, users receive a SMEDAN certificate (SUIN) and are guided through the free CAC registration process.
For regular, paid registration, the official Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal is services.cac.gov.ng.
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