CAC adopts Artificial Intelligence to clear 7,000 registration backlog

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has announced plans to deploy an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system to eliminate a backlog of about 7,000 pending company registration applications.

Registrar-General of the Commission, Hussaini Magaji, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ forum in Kano on Monday. He explained that the AI-driven initiative is part of a comprehensive upgrade of the Company Registration Portal, which was launched in June.

According to him, the new system is designed to enhance compliance, registry operations and customer service with greater speed and accuracy.

Magaji noted that the AI portal comes with features such as instant name approvals and automatic alternative suggestions whenever a preferred business name is unavailable.

“Name reservation under the upgraded platform is now as simple as opening an email account,” he said, stressing that AI technology ensures seamless suggestions and approvals in real time.

The CAC boss admitted that some customers had experienced delays since the launch of the platform, which he blamed on the unexpectedly high volume of applications received.

To further ease service delivery, the Commission is programming the AI tool to manage daily inquiries. The system, he said, can read as many as 3,000 emails per minute, identify duplicate requests, and route queries to the relevant departments for prompt response.

Magaji described the innovation as part of the Commission’s broader effort to modernise Nigeria’s business environment and make company registration easier.

The CAC had in June rolled out the AI-powered portal with the promise of transforming service delivery and accelerating approvals, thereby boosting the ease of doing business in the country.