HOW I REGISTERED TWO BUSINESSES ALL BY MYSELF.

Registering a company or business in Nigeria is quite straight forward. It is not so much ambiguous if you know what to do and how to about it. I just want to share my experiences on how I have registered a private company and a business name all by myself.

CAC is Corporate Affairs Commission whose headquarter is located in Abuja the Capital of Nigeria and it has offices across Nigeria. The head of the CAC is a registrar.

Before now only lawyers were able to register businesses but with the innovation of the online platform anyone can register a private company or a business name. Incorporated trustees such as NGOs and churches are quite ambiguous which will require the guidance of a lawyer.

My focus on this post will involve registration of business names and private companies.

My first experience with the CAC online platform was as far back as 2015 when I registered a private company by myself. My experience was actually not a smooth sail it was filled with so much mistakes which led to a back and forth.

With the new amendment to the CAMA (Company and Allied Matters Act) you can register your business from the comfort of your home.

Let’s dig into the crux of the matter.

Reservation of Business name

Log on to cac.gov.ng and proceed to business name reservation. You are always requested to have two names as proposed names for registration. Any of the names approved by CAC can be registered. This is usually done within 24 hours. The last one I did was less than 5 hours. The response was sent to my mail. The standard price is 500 Naira which is one 1 dollar and a few cents.

Once the names are approved sign into your CAC account to begin the process of registration.

Business Name/Company Registration

To continue the process of registration you will have to log into your CAC account to access your dashboard. Click on reserved names and enter the reservation code that was sent to your email.

CAC Dashboard

Fill in the required details. Please ensure that the registration address you imputed when you were creating your CAC account is the same as the address you provide as a director of the company.

If it is a business name one proprietor is enough and for a private company one director is enough according to the new CAMA 2020.

Also note it is no longer compulsory for a private company to appoint a company secretary during registration.

1. Presenter’s Details

2. Company Details

3. First Directors

4. Company Secretary

5. Declaration of Compliance

6. Objects of MEMO

7. Articles of Association

8. Documents (Identification, Certificate of Compliance)

The Memorandum and Article of Association can be easily done. You can use the template provided by CAC or you can create your own MOA. This involves what the business will be carrying out in terms of service. That is the purpose of the business.

You will have to download the completed forms so you can sign them. The statement of compliance can be signed by a lawyer or a notary public. But due to the new amended you can fill the statement of compliance by yourself.

You will need to complete the process by uploading the relevant documents. I made the mistake of thinking after filling the information online that that was all. I had to call the customer care after several weeks when my certificate of incorporation was not ready. That was when I knew I was to submit my documents to the zonal office that I chose when registering. Now what is required is for you to upload the necessary documents and signed copies of the forms.

After signing the necessary portions of the form you will need to log on to your dashboard to upload the forms. You will need to upload all the documents that you have downloaded and signed accordingly.

Actually the CAC is one agency of government in Nigeria that is actually working. So you can register your business name or private company with little or assistance of a lawyer.

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