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There are several applicable rules and regulations of doing business in Nigeria. This purpose of this write-up is aimed at summarizing the steps required to carry out business in Nigeria and the rule and regulations governing businesses in Nigeria.
Business setup and operation in Nigeria are governed by various laws. These laws include but are not limited to:
A company registration is the first important step required for doing business in Nigeria. Under the Nigerian law (CAMA), only a company duly registered in Nigeria can engage in any business within Nigeria.
The government agency in charge of the company formation is the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
The first step towards a business registration is to conduct a search for the intended name of the business in order to have the name reserved. The applicant will submit two intended names for registration. CAC will, in turn, use the names provided to search through its database in order to make sure that the name is not already in use by another business or that the name is not similar to any other business name.
It is worthy of note to state that any individual or corporate entity, either resident or non-resident in Nigeria can be a member of a company.
Furthermore, a minimum of two persons or entities are required to form a company any company in Nigeria and a minimum of two individuals are required to be first directors of a company.
Some of the applicable taxes for a company operating in Nigeria include the followings:
Company Income Tax: This is the tax is levied on the income of the business. Company income tax is charged at 30% of the profit earned by the company after all allowable deductions for a company with more than N100 Million Naira annual turnover. The tax is charged at 20% for a company with a turnover between N25 Million and N100 Million.
Value Added Tax (VAT): It is payable by the customer and is imposed on the supply of goods and services. The VAT is currently charged at 7.5%.
Stamp Duties: This is a tax payable on instruments. The rate of this tax is dependent on the document and the value of the transaction on the face of it. It is usually charged at a fixed rate and ad valorem.
Capital Gains Tax: This is 10% tax imposed on capital arising from sales, exchange or any other dispositions of properties. It is charged to the chargeable assets of a business. It is triggered when an asset is sold.
Withholding Tax: The withholding tax is usually charged at the rate of 10% to 5% of the payable sum, depending on the type of payments. The withholding tax is normally deducted at source when payment is to be made to the beneficiary. It is an advance payment of income tax.
Industrial Training Fund: The tax is charged at 1% of the company employees' payroll. It is only applicable to a company with a minimum of 50 Million Naira turnover or having more than 5 employees.
National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF): The NSITF is also charged at the rate of 1% of the company employees' payroll. The NSITF payment is not actually a tax, but a form of mandatory insurance for the employees of all companies operating in Nigeria.
Education Tax Fund: This tax is applicable to all companies operating in Nigeria. It is levied at 2% on the profits of companies operating in Nigeria.
Petroleum Profits Tax: This tax is applicable to only companies engaging in the exploration and production of crude oil. It is charged at the rate between 50% to 85% of ascertained profits after deductions of all operational expenses.
The duty of collecting tax is vested in the 3 arms of government. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is the body in charge of the taxes payable to the Federal Government. The taxes payable to the state government is paid to the State Boards of Internal Revenue (SNIR). The Local Government also administers some levies, which they collect through across various councils within Nigeria.
According to CAMA, every company is expected to appoint an auditor or auditors at its annual general meeting to audit the financial statements of the company. The first auditors of a company may be appointed by the directors at any time before the company is entitled to commence business and auditors so appointed shall hold office until the conclusion of the next annual general meeting.
The appointment of subsequent auditors is done by the passing a resolution. The auditors hold office for one year as CAMA provides that the appointment of auditors is done at every annual general meeting. However, a retiring auditor can be reappointed to continue in the role as the auditor to the company.
Where at an annual general meeting there is no appointment or reappointment of an auditor then the directors of the company may appoint someone to fill the vacancy. Where the directors exercise this power, then the company is entitled to give notice to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) within one week of the power becoming exercisable.
The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) is the body in charge of promoting, coordinating and monitoring investments in Nigeria. This body is established by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission Act. The functions to the commission include:
The major advantage of NIPC registration is that the agency process application for tax incentives known as pioneer status for deserving companies.
The contracts between employer and employee are usually guided by the Labour Act.
Section 7(1) of the Labour Act requires employers to provide a contract to employees within three months of commencement of the employment relationship. The contract of employment is meant to contain
Either party to a contract of employment may terminate the contract on the expiration of a notice given by him to the other party of his intention to do so. The notice to be given is calculated as follows;
The National Industrial Court is the court which is vested with the jurisdiction to handle employment matters in Nigeria in case of any disputes.
A business permit is a document that allows a wholly owned foreign company to operate a business in Nigeria. It is usually issued by the Federal Ministry of Interior on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria..
The requirements for obtaining a business permit in Nigeria include the following:
In practice, a business permit is usually applied for alongside an expatriate quota. An expatriate quota in Nigeria is the approval granted by the Minister of Interior to foreign or indigenous companies to enable foreign employees, directors or owners of businesses work in Nigeria. As part of regulatory requirements, a foreign-owned company registered in Nigeria must obtain Business Permit and Expatriate Quota from the Minister of Interior.
Applicants can apply for as many quotas depending on the slots required. The requirements for the grant of an expatriate quota include the following:
The CERPAC is the acronym for Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card. The Nigeria Immigration Service requires foreigners living in Nigeria to get the CERPAC or they will be considered to be illegal residents and subject to repatriation from Nigeria. This card is meant to be obtained by expatriates working in Nigeria. The validity of CERPAC istwo years, after which application for revalidation must be made.
The current official fee of CERPAC is $2,000
The requirements for obtaining CERPAC includes the followings:
There are various business licenses applicable to the various sectors of economy in Nigeria that are specially regulated. A business license or approval must not be confused with a Business Permit issued by the Ministry of Interiors.
The requirement of a business permit depends on a specific business sector or requirements. Some of the common business licenses would be discussed below
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was officially established in October 1992. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act Cap N1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 mandates the Agency to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of Food, Drugs, Cosmetics, Medical Devices, Packaged Water, Chemicals and Detergents (collectively known as regulated products). NAFDAC permits cover foods and drugs, so if a manufacturer produces any products that fall within these categories, then the product will need to be registered with NAFDAC.
If your company produces different products you will need to register each of them separately. For instance, if you own a company that produces Juice and Plantain chips you will need different NAFDAC registration numbers for each of the product.
The failure to obtain a NAFDAC approval or registration before distributing any drugs or processed food or food materials may lead to a complete seizure of such products by the government.
The Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR) is a department under the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (FMPR). It is saddled with the responsibility of exploration and importation of Petroleum products. It also oversees the safety and other regulations that relate to the exportation and importation of the products into the country. As part of its activities, the department manages the upstream and downstream in the Nigeria petroleum industry.
The DPR Permit is the license required to operate a company or facility that has to do with the Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria. The DPR is the sole body responsible to formulate Regulations and Guidelines for Oil and Gas Industry activities in Nigeria.
There are 3 categories of permits granted by the DPR for oil & gas servicing companies, which are:
The companies seeking to engage in oil exploration and production must obtain licenses such as Oil Exploration License and Oil Mining Lease.
The companies engaging in downstream sectors, especially filling station or gas plant also require separate licenses to carry out their operations.
By the provisions of the Minerals and Mining Regulation 2011, a company who is qualified may submit an application for an exploration license. A mining lease has a duration of 25 years and can be renewed. The grant of Mining Lease is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (MMSD) under the Mining Cadastre Office approving same. It is also very instructive to note that applications for a mining lease in Nigeria must strictly comply and conform to requirements and procedures under the laws that regulate the sector, which include the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007 and the Minerals and Mining Regulation 2011.
The regulatory agency in charge of licensing financial institutions and payment gateways or processors such as money transfers or FINTECH companies is the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Central Bank also licenses both international, national & regional banks operating in Nigeria. The CBN also responsible for licensing of small scale financial institutions such as the Microfinance Bank, Mortgage Banks among few others.
Money Lending License is a license which is granted to individuals or corporate bodies who intend to go into the business of lending money. For an individual or a company to become a legitimate money lender then the individual or company must first apply to get a money lenders license.
In Lagos State, Nigeria, the first step is to make a formal application to the chief magistrate within the magisterial jurisdiction where the business will be carried out. After this is obtained from the court, the applicant is to make a formal application to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Tourism with the relevant documents. And lastly, a visitation and physical inspection will be carried out in the company.
A company seeking to engage in export must also obtain an Export License from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
However, there are other licenses applicable to various sectors of economy as stated above.
Opening of a bank account is very crucial to business operation. The Nigerian bank accounts can be opened in Naira, Dollars, Euro or Great British Pounds (GBP). Having a bank account enables companies to easily run its businesses. It also enables foreign investors to obtain the Certificate of Capital Importation.
The procedure for opening a business account include:
Certain businesses are required to register with the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML). The business industries that are liable to register with the SCUML includes mining, real estate and few others.
These types of businesses are classified as Designated Non-Financial Institutions (DNFI). They must register and render a monthly report to SCUML in accordance with the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011.
The procedure for doing business in Nigeria must commence with the business registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Upon the business registration, a company is expected to obtain the Tax Identification Number (TIN), which is a mandatory requirement for a bank account opening by all registered company in Nigeria.
A registered company may also be required to obtain certain licenses applicable in various sectors of the economy. For instance, any company seeking to engage in oil and gas operation must be duly licensed by the Department of Petroleum Resources.
For a registered company to be in good standing and operate without hiccups, it must comply with all other statutory requirements governing business operations in Nigeria, especially the tax statutes.
Originally published 27 July, 2020
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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