CAC'S REGISTRATION UPGRADED SOFTWARE SET FOR TEST-RUN

In line with the Management's four point agenda, the Corporate Affairs Commission has set in motion measures for enhanced ICT infrastructure to improve its service delivery.

In a statement, the Registrar General, Alhaji Bello Mahmud reiterated that a total upgrade of the CAC's WAN from a VSAT-based network to a more reliable fibre based system is required to improve network availability and transaction speed.

To this end, a pilot scheme involving five state offices is being executed by Globacom Limited and will be commissioned within the next 30 days.  Adding, the offices are Lagos (Yaba and Oregun), Kaduna, Kanu and Enugu, as in due course links to all the 32 state offices will also be fibre-based.

In recognition of the need to embark on a meticulous data validation exercise to enhance the integrity of the Commission's electronic record and ensure reliability, the Management is considering a proposal from DUNS and Bradstreet Nigeria for data cleaning and validation at no cost to the Commission, he stressed.

Alhaji Mahmud said that the Commission has embarked on rapid document imaging and data capture of records of companies that have been registered before the commencement of the electronic registration in 2004.  Also that an upgraded version of the Commission's registration software (content pinnacle) has been developed and will be deployed within the next two weeks while a new version with e-payment portal is being developed by the Commission's vendor, Messrs Decision Technology Incorporated of USA.  This will be test-run before the end of the year while full deployment is expected to be achieved by 1^st January, 2012.

It could be recalled that the challenges experienced in getting availability, incorporation process and server down times are long standing ICT problems as in 2004 when the Commission started on-line operations, it had in mind only registration of companies but later extended to Business Names and Incorporated Trustees which over burdened the system and needs to be upgraded.