Business News of Monday, 22 March 2021

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

More than 300,000 companies to be deleted from RGD system by June

Jemima Oware, Registrar General Jemima Oware, Registrar General

More than 300,000 businesses risk losing their status as legally registered to operate in the country if they fail to update their data with the Registrar Generals Department by June 2021.

The Registrar General has issued a final warning to the dormant firms that have failed to comply with the requirement for the registered firms in the country.

Registrar General Jemima Oware had earlier explained why this very exercise is important.

“Between 1963 till now many businesses in Ghana and I am talking of big businesses in Ghana have not bothered to do the re-registration. So what they are telling me is that they have not also filed annual returns and under the laws, I can go ahead and dissolve you and that’s what I want to do.

"I want to kick start that process of dissolving and taking dormant companies off my register. If you know you are not dormant if you know you are seriously doing business in Ghana, then please come and inform me. Whether you are still operating in Ghana by filing your annual returns and your financial statements,” she said.

“If for any reason you haven’t even done any business since 1963 to date, no problem you file what we call a ‘null return because the historical database is about 700,000, less than 10% has done the re-registration. In law, if I finally dissolve you and I strike your name from your register you can’t carry on business in Ghana again until 12 years but I cannot just dissolve a company name just like that, do what you have to do,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is also calling on businesses to take advantage of the opportunity to update their data and company profile in their system.