April 2021
The Companies and Allied Matter Act (CAMA) 2020 was enacted in January 2021. Since then, a key challenge has been that many civil society organisations (CSOs) are not conversant with the provisions of the new law.
Against this backdrop, the Agents for Citizen-driven Transformation (ACT) Programme in collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) organised a Q&A session for CSOs on the implementation of the CAMA 2020. The forum was held on February 24 and enabled CSOs and the CAC to engage and discuss the principles and provisions of the new law, in particular the NGO regulations under which CSOs are categorised.
The interactive event was conducted via Zoom with a total of 299 participants including representatives of CSOs, government, academia, the donor community, and the media.
The event featured CAC senior officials, including the Directors of Board Secretariat and Compliance, ICT & Registry Department, who addressed questions from CSOs—ranging from the penalty of long-term defaulters to validating registered organisations on the CAC’s portal.
The forum provided insights into the relevant aspects of the CAMA 2020 for CSOs, such as how to change the name of incorporated trustees; how to remove and appoint trustees; the new clauses added to the CAMA; and compliance requirements.
ACT will collaborate further with the CAC to develop guidance notes for CSOs that will include detailed responses on a range of matters related to the CAMA 2020.
The virtual event is part of ACT and the CAC’s collaborative efforts to strengthen the civil society regulatory environment. The initiative focuses on the effective and efficient implementation of the relevant parts of the CAMA 2020 across the country.
“The interaction was very useful and educational. The presenters did a very good job.”
Peter Nwadishi, CSO representative, United Against Poverty Charity Organisation
“The European Union supports CSOs across the world to ensure they are operating in an environment that is conducive.”
Clement Boutillier, Head of Democracy, Governance and Migration Section at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS
