For months, business owners across the country have publicly complained online about the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). They cited payments that failed to reflect, applications that stalled indefinitely, and approvals that were delayed for weeks. This frustration stemmed from a severe internal issue: the commission was grappling with a backlog of more than 7,000 company registration applications.
On Tuesday, Registrar-General Hussaini Ishaq Magaji finally presented a solution. Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Kano, Magaji announced the commission will deploy an artificial intelligence agent to clear this backlog and transform how it delivers services.
He explained that the tool will do more than just accelerate registration approvals. The commission is designing it to read and process up to 3,000 emails daily, detect duplicate submissions, and direct queries to the appropriate departments. In principle, this will lead to more responsive communication, faster resolutions, and less difficulty for entrepreneurs trying to officially register their businesses.
“Problems have been identified, and solutions are already in motion,” Magaji assured stakeholders.
An Overpromised Portal Leads to Delays
This AI initiative is part of a broader reform effort. Back in June, the CAC launched a new registration portal using AI, promoting it as a “complete overhaul” of its old system. The portal promised to deliver instant name approvals, real-time suggestions, and a user experience as simple as opening a Gmail account.
However, users quickly faced a different reality. They reported persistent glitches, including broken dropdown menus, unresponsive payment systems, and documents that failed to upload. The frustration became visible in the comment sections of the Registrar-General’s Instagram page, where one user pleaded: “When will this portal be ok? We keep going from one problem to another, and it’s really affecting our customers.”
Despite these public complaints, the portal still processed over 11,000 transactions daily by July, a testament to the immense demand. This high volume ultimately overwhelmed the new system, creating a massive backlog of 7,000 applications.
Why This AI Initiative is Critical
Businesses in Nigeria already face significant challenges, including high inflation, foreign exchange shortages, and complex regulations. For startups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), delays in company registration can delay funding, partnerships, and even day-to-day operations.
This context highlights why the Corporate Affairs Commission’s (CAC) move to AI is so important. If the system works as intended, it could eliminate critical bottlenecks and make it easier for entrepreneurs to legally launch and grow their businesses. Faster registrations allow more companies to join the formal economy, which in turn can boost tax revenues and strengthen investor confidence.
However, the commission faces high stakes. As Registrar-General Magaji admitted, the transition hasn’t been smooth. While AI may clear the backlog, the true test will be if it can restore public trust in the CAC’s systems.
For now, the commission is betting that automation can achieve what its manual processes and staff could not: delivering speed, accuracy, and scale to one of Nigeria’s most essential regulatory processes. Clearing the 7,000-application backlog is the first test. The outcome could reshape the operations of the country’s business registry for years.
