Nigeria, April 7 -- A system upgrade by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) that has transferred business registration entirely online, has left businesses in the country stranded for months, unable to register and function properly.

The impact is huge for the country's struggling small businesses, and Nigeria's ease of doing business record.

The commission announced last December the upgrade of its online registration portal for businesses.

It said the upgrade would include features that allow the automation of key services and processes in line with the federal government's effort to improve Nigeria's ease of doing business.

But the exercise has instead slowed down registration for several months, leaving prospective registrants ...