Evidence shows that micro, small, and medium size enterprises (MSME) play a crucial role in a thriving economy. In many countries, however, unnecessary regulatory barriers keep MSMEs out of the market by imposing burdensome filing requirements and long delays. The difficulty of simply registering a business and getting a license to operate is often enough to keep businesses from even starting.

To address this problem, the IFC had Locus founder and CEO Jean-Paul Gauthier serve as Deputy Team Lead for its MSME Investment Climate - Business Registration Subcomponent in Nigeria. In this role, he designed an integrated Companies Registration and Tax Registration system for the country's authorities (CIC and FIRS). Jean-Paul helped lead the effort while working with Deloitte Consulting in 2003-2004.