Apply for Free CAC Business Registration 2026: SMEDAN to Register 250,000 Nigerian MSMEs

Apply for Free CAC Business Registration 2026: SMEDAN to Register 250,000 Nigerian MSMEs

Welcome to mastercareer.com.ng, In our today’s article you will learn a step by step guide on how to apply/Register for a free CAC & SMEADAN. If you are running a small business in Nigeria maybe a POS point, a fashion brand on Instagram, a phone accessories shop, a poultry farm, or even that small food business this is one news you should not scroll past.

SMEDAN has started approving free CAC business registration for 250,000 MSMEs across Nigeria, and yes, this one is real. Not one of those WhatsApp broadcasts that later turns into “processing fee” stories.

It’s happening in partnership with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and it’s tied to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda. But beyond the big grammar, let’s break it down the way it concerns everyday Nigerians trying to survive business in this economy.

Because for many people, CAC registration has always been one headache too many.
Why CAC Registration Has Always Been a Problem for Small Businesses
Let’s be honest.

For years, many Nigerians avoided CAC registration not because they didn’t want it, but because the process looked stressful, confusing, and expensive.

You hear things like:

Agent will charge you ₦25k
If you do it yourself, network will fail
They’ll reject your name three times
It will take months

So most people just said, please leave it, They ran their businesses informally. Cash transactions, No business account, No access to grants, No government support, Nothing.
According to estimates, millions of Nigerian businesses are still operating outside the formal system. And that’s a big problem — not just for government, but for the business owners themselves.

This new SMEDAN–CAC move is supposed to change that story, at least for 250,000 people.

So What Exactly Is This SMEDAN Free CAC Registration?

In simple words:
CAC is waiving the official registration fees
SMEDAN is handling the mobilisation and profiling, 250,000 MSMEs will register business names at zero cost

No CAC statutory fee
No business name registration fee.

According to CAC, this waiver alone is worth about ₦3 billion. That’s money small business owners won’t have to struggle to raise in this hard time.

How the Whole Thing Is Supposed to Work

Here’s the arrangement, as explained by both agencies, SMEDAN will:

Identify and mobilise MSMEs
Collect business details
Profile them properly
Assign unique identification numbers
Prepare them for CAC registration

CAC will:

Register approved businesses
Waive all statutory fees
Issue certificates without delay
In theory, once you’re approved under SMEDAN, CAC just processes and releases your business name certificate.

The Registrar-General of CAC, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), said the goal is to remove the financial barrier that stops small business owners from going legit. And from SMEDAN’s side, Charles Odii, the Director-General, made it clear that registration is just the first step.

Why SMEDAN Is Involved (And Why It Matters)

This is where many people misses the bigger picture, SMEDAN is not just helping you register your business for fun. Once your business is formalised through this programme, you get entered into SMEDAN’s MSME database,
And that database is important.

Why?

Because most government interventions, grants, training programmes, and support schemes start from there. If your business is not registered yet, the following things will reach you out;

You won’t qualify for many grants
You can’t access some government-backed loans
You’ll miss capacity-building programmes

Export opportunities?

Forget it, SMEDAN says businesses captured under this programme will have access to:

Business development support
Capacity building
Technical assistance
Market linkages
Future funding opportunities

So it’s not just about CAC paper, It’s about visibility.

What This Means for Everyday Nigerian Entrepreneurs

Let’s bring it home, Imagine:

A tailor in Aba
A phone repairer in Ibadan
A food vendor in Ilorin
A POS operator in Minna
A small farmer in Benue

Most of them operate daily, make money, employ people but officially, they don’t “exist”.

With CAC registration you can;

They can open proper business bank accounts
They can apply for grants without using somebody else’s name
They can partner with bigger companies
They can bid for contracts
They can even export, if they grow that far
It gives legitimacy. And legitimacy matters more than people think.

How to Apply for the Free CAC Registration?

For those asking, “okay, how do I start?”
SMEDAN says interested MSMEs should visit the official portal which we have shared below;

Register Here

What are the Requirements for a free CAC Registration?

You’ll be required to:

Fill in your business details
Provide correct information
Submit for profiling

Now, here’s something important:
If your business is already in SMEDAN’s database but you don’t have CAC registration yet, you automatically qualify. SMEDAN says such businesses will be contacted and guided on the next steps.

What About People Who Are Not Tech-Savvy?

This is Nigeria, Not everybody is comfortable with online portals and forms. SMEDAN says they are aware of this, and that’s why the State-level offices will assist Business clinics will be used, Physical support will be provided where needed.

So if you’re not good with phones or computers, you’re not automatically excluded.
The Renewed Hope Angle (Government Side of the Story) This programme falls under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative.

At the official launch, both CAC and SMEDAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalise the partnership. According to CAC News, the signing of that MOU was the major highlight of the event.

Government officials present described it as:

A step towards economic inclusion
A way to strengthen the MSME ecosystem
A data-driven approach to policy making

Whether you like government or not, one thing is clear, small businesses are being taken more seriously now, at least on paper.

Why This Timing Is Not a Coincidence

Another angle people are not talking about is tax reform. From January 2026, new tax reforms are expected to take effect. For government to tax fairly, they need accurate data. Formalising businesses now helps to Expand the official business registry, Improve data quality, Plan policies better, Avoid blind taxation. For business owners, early registration means

You’re visible
You’re prepared
You’re not caught off-guard later

Some Honest Advice for Business Owners Reading This, Let’s be break it again;

Free registration doesn’t mean:

Government will start taxing you immediately, Your business will suddenly blow overnight, You’ll get instant loans, But it positions you better. Many people missed past opportunities simply because they didn’t have the following;

CAC certificate
Business name
Formal records

When grants come, one of the first requirements is always CAC registration. This programme removes that excuse.

Step‑by‑Step Guide on How to Retrieve Tax ID Online Using NIN, CAC – JTB

For years, getting your Tax Identification Number in Nigeria came with stress. Offices to visit. Forms to fill. Systems that didn’t talk to each other. And for many people, it simply wasn’t clear where to even start.

That process is now changing.

On January ,the Joint Tax Board (JTB), working with Nigerian revenue services, rolled out a new Nigerian Tax Identity Portal, giving individuals and businesses a way to retrieve their 13‑digit Tax ID online without going through a fresh registration.

With the new system, individuals can pull their Tax ID using their National Identification Number (NIN), while businesses and registered entities can retrieve theirs using CAC registration details.

The move is part of a broader effort to unify existing tax records across agencies, bringing old systems together without forcing Nigerians to sign up again or face penalties from banks or tax offices.

What the New JTB Tax Portal Is About

According to information shared by the Joint Tax Board on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, the board — previously known as the Federal Inland Revenue Service — has officially launched the Nigerian Tax Identity Portal.

The portal is scheduled to go live from January 1, 2026.

Once active, it will allow:

Individual Nigerians to retrieve their Tax Identification Number using their NIN
Businesses to retrieve their Tax ID using their CAC registration number

No new sign‑up. No duplicate registration. Just retrieval.

Online reactions have been mixed. Some Nigerians welcomed the automation, especially for banking and documentation purposes. Others expressed concern about what wider tax enforcement might mean in the current economic climate.

How to Retrieve Your Tax ID as an Individual (Using NIN)

For individuals, the process is straightforward, but details matter.

Here are the steps as released by JTB:

Visit www.taxidjtb.gov.ng
On the homepage, click on the “Individual” tab
Select National Identification Number (NIN)
Enter your 11‑digit NIN
Click on “Retrieve Tax ID”
Enter your First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth exactly as captured by NIMC
Click “Continue”
Your 13‑digit Tax ID will be displayed on the screen

Any mismatch in names or date of birth may affect the retrieval process.

How Businesses and Organisations Can Retrieve Their Tax ID (Using CAC)

For non‑individuals and registered entities, the steps are slightly different.

According to JTB, businesses should:

Visit www.taxidjtb.gov.ng
Click on the “Corporate” tab
Select the appropriate organisation type
Enter your CAC registration number, as applicable
Click “Retrieve Tax ID”
Your 13‑digit Tax ID will be displayed

This applies to registered companies and other recognised entities.

What This Change Means

The launch of the Tax Identity Portal signals a move toward centralised tax records and easier verification for individuals and businesses.

By linking Tax IDs directly to NIN and CAC data, the Joint Tax Board says it aims to simplify access, reduce duplication, and make tax‑related services smoother across government and financial institutions.

For now, Nigerians are advised to pay close attention to official instructions and ensure their personal or business details match existing records before attempting retrieval.

More guidance is expected as the portal becomes fully active.

Conclusion

Don’t Sleep on This One, Programmes like this don’t stay open forever, It’s 250,000 slots, not unlimited. If you run a small business in Nigeria and you’ve always postponed CAC registration because of money or confusion, this might be the cleanest chance you can get.

Because there’s No agent stories No bring processing fee, Just follow SMEDAN’s official process. Whether this programme changes lives massively or not will depend on implementation, But the opportunity itself is real.

More ever, in this economy, any real opportunity is worth paying attention to. If you’re eligible, don’t wait for somebody to explain it again on WhatsApp, Facebook or any social media, you are to try to checki it yourself.