The announcement was made on Monday in Abuja by the Registrar General of the Commission, Hussaini Magaji, during events commemorating the agency’s milestone anniversary. According to the CAC, the initiative is designed to reduce entry barriers for entrepreneurs and encourage more small businesses to operate within the formal economy.
Magaji explained that the programme reflects the Commission’s broader commitment to promoting entrepreneurship, lowering start-up costs, and supporting inclusive economic growth. He noted that by removing the financial burden associated with registration, more micro and small enterprises would be able to formalise their operations and gain access to opportunities previously out of reach.
“In the spirit of the celebration, the CAC boss 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 stated.
According to Magaji, formalisation is a critical step for small enterprises seeking access to government services, financing opportunities, and broader participation in the economy. He stressed that initiatives such as this are essential for building a more inclusive and resilient business environment.
Reflecting on the Commission’s journey over the past three and a half decades, the registrar general described the CAC at 35 as a story of vision, innovation, and sustained commitment to national development. He said the agency has transformed from a largely manual institution into a technology-driven regulator with a strong emphasis on efficiency, transparency, and global best practices.
On the digital front, Magaji disclosed that the CAC is set to strengthen its technological capabilities through a collaboration with Google. He revealed that the Commission would sign a letter of collaboration with the technology company to enhance its digital infrastructure and service delivery. The partnership, he said, is expected to improve the performance of the CAC portal and further support the federal government’s ease-of-doing-business agenda.
In addition, the registrar general announced the launch of a redesigned CAC website equipped with new digital tools, including an AI-powered Lawyer and a business name generator. The AI Lawyer is expected to provide instant guidance on CAC laws, requirements, and procedures, while the business name generator will help entrepreneurs reserve scalable and compliant business names more easily.
The newly announced free registration initiative builds on a similar programme previously introduced in partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). That earlier initiative targeted the free registration of 250,000 youth-led businesses nationwide. However, Magaji acknowledged that it remains unclear how many businesses have been successfully registered since the programme was announced in October last year.
At the time, the registrar general had urged Nigerian youths to take advantage of the opportunity to formalise their ventures, describing registration as a gateway to growth and sustainability.
While the CAC continues to encourage new businesses to come into the formal sector, the Commission has also signalled a firm stance on compliance. Over the weekend, it disclosed that more than 400,000 companies were deregistered in 2025 due to prolonged inactivity and failure to meet statutory obligations.
According to Magaji, the mass deregistration was part of efforts to clean up the national companies register, remove inactive and non-compliant entities, and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s corporate regulatory framework. He added that the action was necessary to protect the integrity of the register and ensure greater transparency and credibility in the country’s business environment.