The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria is set to deploy an Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent to tackle a significant backlog of about 7,000 company registration applications.
The initiative is part of the Commission’s effort to improve service delivery and streamline business registration across the country.
Registrar-General and CEO, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, disclosed the plan during a stakeholders’ forum in Kano on Monday, noting that the current manual processing system is unsustainable. “With only 63 registry staff handling thousands of applications, delays and inefficiencies are inevitable,” Magaji said. The AI agent is expected to enhance processing speed and accuracy across compliance, registry, and customer service functions.
This move follows the launch of the Intelligent Companies Registration Portal (ICRP), an AI-powered platform designed to modernize CAC operations. The ICRP allows for instant name reservation approvals and facilitates business registration using only the National Identification Number (NIN) of a director or proprietor.
Upon successful verification of a director’s NIN, the system generates a certificate of incorporation and delivers it to the applicant’s email within 30 minutes. The AI agent is expected to complement the portal, further reducing delays and improving the efficiency of business registrations nationwide.
Some users have reported technical challenges with the new system, which the CAC has acknowledged. Magaji assured stakeholders that the Commission is addressing the issues promptly as part of its broader strategy to enhance service quality and reduce processing times.
By leveraging AI technology, the CAC aims to provide faster, more efficient services for entrepreneurs and businesses across Nigeria. The deployment reflects the country’s commitment to digital transformation and improving the ease of doing business.