Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, has long grappled with heavy demand for corporate registration services, reflecting the state’s concentration of businesses and entrepreneurs. In a move aimed at improving service delivery and supporting business formalisation, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has inaugurated a new service centre at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos.
The facility was commissioned on Monday by the Registrar-General and Chief Executive Officer of the CAC, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, as part of the Commission’s efforts to expand access to its services and support the Federal Government’s ease-of-doing-business reforms.
Speaking at the inauguration, Magaji said the new office was established in response to growing demand for CAC services in Lagos and would help bring registration and compliance services closer to entrepreneurs.
“This office represents more than physical infrastructure; it is a direct response to the yearnings of Lagos’s business community,” he said. “By taking our services closer to businesses, we are working to reduce barriers to formalisation and improve access to our services.”
The TBS office will provide a full range of corporate registration and compliance services, including business name registration, company incorporation, annual returns filing, and post-incorporation filings. According to the Commission, the new centre is expected to ease congestion at existing CAC offices across Lagos and improve the efficiency of service delivery.
Lagos accounts for a substantial share of Nigeria’s registered businesses and remains the country’s leading commercial and financial centre. The concentration of entrepreneurs, startups, and established companies has placed considerable pressure on existing registration facilities, often resulting in longer processing times during peak periods.
The new service hub also complements the CAC’s ongoing digital transformation programme. Although many registration and filing processes are now available through the Commission’s online portal, some entrepreneurs, particularly small business owners and first-time applicants, continue to require in-person assistance for documentation, compliance requirements, and other regulatory processes.
Business registration is widely regarded as an important step toward formalising enterprises, enabling them to establish legal identity, access banking services, compete for public procurement opportunities, attract investment, and meet statutory compliance obligations. Greater formalisation also supports improved business data and can contribute to broader economic planning and tax administration.
The Commission said the opening of the TBS office forms part of its broader strategy to improve service accessibility and encourage compliance among businesses across the country. It added that expanding its physical presence alongside digital services is intended to make corporate registration more convenient for entrepreneurs while strengthening Nigeria’s business environment.
The inauguration comes as government agencies continue to pursue reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business and increasing the participation of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the formal economy.
