The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) recently delisted over 400,000 inactive and non-compliant companies from its official register in 2025.
Hussaini Magaji, Registrar-General of CAC, made the disclosure at a commission-organized event in Abuja.
According to Magaji, the commission deregistered almost 400,000 corporations in an effort to clean up our database of inactive and non-compliant entities.
He explained that the measure was intended to protect the integrity of the national company registration.
He also revealed that the commission has transformed from a manual, location-based register to a fully digital, end-to-end service provider that provides company registration services to Nigerians both at home and overseas.
According to Magaji, the commission’s digital changes have significantly enhanced the ease of doing business, with entrepreneurs being able to register their businesses remotely without visiting a CAC office.
“Today, CAC offers services anywhere, anytime, and 24 hours a day. You can register your business from your accommodation without visiting our offices.
“The reforms have strengthened trust in Nigeria’s business environment and increased transparency in corporate regulation,” he stated.
Magaji further stated that CAC, in collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), sponsored free business registrations for 250,000 entrepreneurs as part of its small business support program.
As the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) delists nearly 400,000 inactive and non-compliant corporations, WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that numerous Nigerians are unfamiliar with company registration, leading in the delisting of some organizations for noncompliance.
How to register a business in Nigeria with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
As a potential entrepreneur or business owner seeking to register a business with the CAC, you must:
Choose a structure that fits the scope of your business: a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a Sole Proprietorship or Partnership
Do a public name search to see if your preferred business name is available on the CAC’s public search portal
Have 2-3 alternate names ready in case your first pick is not chosen
When you check the CAC’s portal and see that your selected business name is accessible, reserve the name on the portal for a modest price
Your desired business name will be reserved for 60 days, allowing you enough time to complete registration
To complete registration, you must prepare the following documents:
- Approved business name
- Nature of business
- Address, full name
- Phone number
- Valid government-issued ID
- Recent passport photograph
- Details of at least one director and shareholder
- Information on the company secretary (optional for small private companies)
- Share capital allocation
Complete pre-registration forms on the CAC website
Submit scanned copies of papers properly
Pay official filing fees (N30,000 – N45,000 for business names, N70,000 – N100,000 for limited liability companies).
Download a Certificate of Registration as a PDF file after it has been approved within three to seven business days
After downloading your certificate, CAC automatically processes a Tax Identification Number (TIN) for your business
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