CAC registration in Nigeria, and what grant panels actually want to see

Why grants ask for CAC

A grant is public or donor money. Whoever is giving it has to show where it went, and they cannot pay a person who says they run a business. They need a registered entity, a corporate account in that entity's name, and a document tying you to it. That is all the CAC certificate does for them.

This is why so many strong applications die at document upload stage. The idea was fine. The founder just had nothing to attach. If you are still deciding whether to register, treat it as the cheapest thing standing between you and a much larger pool of programmes.

Business Name or Limited Company

The Corporate Affairs Commission registers several types of entity. Two matter for most founders reading this.

Rule of thumb: if the programme talks about directors, shareholding, equity, audited accounts, or funding above a few million naira, register a limited company. If it says "small business" or "micro enterprise" and pays under a million, a Business Name usually passes. When in doubt, a limited company is accepted almost everywhere a Business Name is, but not the other way round.

The registration steps

1. 1

   Get your details ready

   Valid ID for every proprietor or director (NIN slip, driver's licence, voter's card or international passport), passport photographs, phone numbers, email addresses, residential addresses and the business address. Every director and shareholder needs a NIN. Get these first; missing NINs are the single biggest delay.

2. 2

   Create an account on the CAC portal

   Registration happens on the CAC pre-incorporation portal at cac.gov.ng. You can do it yourself. An accredited agent or lawyer only speeds things up.

3. 3

   Reserve your name

   Submit two name options. Avoid names that are too close to an existing one, and avoid restricted words like Federal, National, Holdings, Bank or Group unless you have approval. Approval is usually quick, and the reservation holds the name for a limited period, so continue promptly.

4. 4

   Fill the registration form

   For a Business Name: proprietor details, nature of business and address. For a limited company: directors, shareholders, share capital, and the objects of the company. Write objects broad enough to cover what you will do in three years, not just today.

5. 5

   Upload documents and signatures

   Scanned ID, signature and passport photo for each person. Use clear, well lit scans. Blurry uploads are the most common query reason.

6. 6

   Pay and submit

   Pay the filing fee (and stamp duty for a company) through the portal, then submit for review. If CAC raises a query, fix it inside the portal and resubmit.

7. 7

   Download your certificate

   You get the certificate and the status report or certified extract as downloadable documents. Keep both. Grant portals ask for the certificate, and some ask for the status report showing directors.

What it costs and how long it takes

CAC reviews its fees from time to time, so we will not quote a figure that goes stale. Check the current service fees on cac.gov.ng before you budget. What is stable is the shape of the cost:

• A Business Name is one flat filing fee, the cheapest route.
• A limited company is a filing fee plus stamp duty calculated on your share capital, so a higher share capital means a higher bill. Do not declare a huge share capital just to look serious.
• Agents charge a service fee on top of the government fee. Ask for the split in writing.

On timing: a clean Business Name filing often completes within a few working days. A company takes longer, and any query resets the clock. Start at least a month before a deadline you care about.

What to do right after you get your certificate

• Open a corporate bank account in the exact registered name. Grants pay into the business account, not your personal one.
• Get your TIN. Many programmes ask for it, and some ask for tax clearance later.
• Save the certificate, status report, ID and bank details in one folder you can attach in two minutes.
• Diarise your annual returns. A company that has not filed returns can show as inactive when a funder checks, and that has cost people money.

Mistakes that cost people funding

• Registering a Business Name, then applying to a grant that clearly says limited liability company.
• A trading name on the application that does not match the registered name on the certificate.
• Registering the week the application closes and having no incorporation date history, when the programme wants a business older than a year.
• Paying an unaccredited "agent" on WhatsApp who disappears with the fee. Use the CAC portal or an accredited agent you can verify.
• Ignoring annual returns until a funder does due diligence.

Questions people ask

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Fees, timelines and requirements are set by the Corporate Affairs Commission and can change. Confirm the current position on cac.gov.ng before you pay anything.