On 29 April 2025 the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) released a public notice reiterating the need for strict compliance with business name registration requirements as provided under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020.
Summary of the Notice:
- Section 863 of CAMA makes it a criminal offence to operate a business under a name or acronym that is not duly registered with the CAC.
- In line with Section 729, companies are required to display their registered name and CAC registration number at all business premises and on all official publications, including signage, marketing materials, and letterheads.
- Section 862(1) criminalizes the act of knowingly making false statements in documents required under the Act, with penalties including imprisonment of up to two years and daily fines for ongoing non-compliance.
TRADENAME AND BUSINESS NAMES
Since the notice, there’s been a lot of speculation and panic from business owners trying to understand whether or not this notice applies to them, so we decided to demystify it and provide you with a bit of clarity.
There is a difference between a trade name and a business name.
A trade name is also referred to as a Doing Business As (DBA) name; this is referred to as your business’s nickname. A case in point is Etisalat. Its brand name is Etisalat while its registered name is Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC.
This means it’s possible for you to operate under another name (brand name) which is different from your legal name (name registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission).
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
- Entities are advised to verify that all branding, official documentation, and business representations reflect their registered name and number. The CAC has given a six-week compliance window from the date of the notice, after which enforcement actions may follow.
- If you have a registered company but operate under a different brand name and you have not previously trademarked it, then the next step is for you to register the brand name under the Nigerian Trademark Registry. You can do this by contacting a law firm or an agent to help with this.
- If you are carrying on business and you have not registered, then the next step is for you to register your company with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Further information can be found at www.cac.gov.ng.
CONCLUSION
We hope this has provided better clarity. If you have any questions on how to go about the trademark registration or the registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, you can contact any of our professionals at admin@regcompass.
