The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has announced plans to deploy an Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent to clear a backlog of over 7,000 company registration applications and improve service efficiency.
Registrar-General/CEO of the CAC, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, disclosed this on Monday at a stakeholders’ forum in Kano. He said the new AI-powered system represents a complete overhaul of the Commission’s existing Company Registration Portal (CRP).
“In a bid to tackle the backlog of 7,000 registration applications… an AI agent was in the pipeline to handle requests across compliance, registry, and customer service with speed and accuracy,” the Commission said in a statement quoting the Registrar-General.
Magaji explained that the portal has been programmed to provide instant name approvals, with intelligent features that suggest alternative names when preferred options are unavailable. “Name reservation under the new system is now as simple as opening an email account,” he added, stressing that the use of AI enables seamless suggestions and real-time approvals.
He, however, acknowledged challenges with the transition, noting that customers have experienced delays in approvals, particularly for services not covered in the first phase of deployment. The setbacks, he said, were largely due to the overwhelming number of applications the system has had to process.
The AI-driven portal, first launched in June, is part of the Commission’s broader efforts to simplify company registration and accelerate approvals, thereby improving Nigeria’s business environment.
To further boost efficiency, Magaji said the Commission is also developing an AI tool to manage its daily influx of inquiries. The system, he noted, currently receives no fewer than 3,000 emails per day. The AI agent under development will be able to read and comprehend emails within a minute, detect duplicate requests, and automatically reroute messages to the relevant departments for quicker resolution.
Reassuring stakeholders, the Registrar-General said: “Problems have been identified, and solutions are already in motion.” He emphasized that the CAC is working diligently to stabilize the new portal and enhance customer satisfaction.
