The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), have partnered to launch a nationwide initiative aimed at providing free business registration for 250,000 Nano, Micro and Small Enterprises (NMSMEs).

Government believes the move will help reduce barriers to formalisation.

The scheme was announced over the weekend in Abuja at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CAC Registrar-General Hussaini Ishaq Magaji and SMEDAN Director-General Charles Odii.

This is part of activities marking their second year in office and aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to support entrepreneurs and strengthen the small business ecosystem.

CAC–SMEDAN scheme aims to close that gap by covering registration fees and onboarding beneficiaries into SMEDAN’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) database. Through this database, businesses can access continuous aftercare and additional opportunities such as grants, training, technical support and market linkages.