The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) Thursday engaged the business public on the need to register and renew their businesses.

The campaign, which started at about 0940 hours from the premises of the Registrar General’s Department, involved 70 ORC staff with some on a trailer and others on foot amidst music and police escort.

The campaigners moved through targeted market areas in Accra, including Makola, Tudu, Kantamanto, Agbogbloshie, Abossey Okai, Kaneshie, and Odorkor.

Previously, the ORC operated as part of the Registrar General’s Department, but now, it operates as an autonomous entity established by an Act of Parliament under Section 351 of the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992).

It, however, shares the same premises with the Registrar General’s Department.

The campaign is to make the public aware that the ORC is now separate from the Registrar General’s Department and that it is an autonomous public institution mandated to register and regulate business entities in Ghana whilst the Registrar General’s Department continued with other functions, including registration of marriages, intellectual property right, estate administration, among others.

Mr Nicholas Ofori Obeng-Twum, Head, Public Relations, ORC, indicated that:
“As a new institution, there is the need to do public sensitisation not only on the brand and the institution, but to drum home the need for the public to register their businesses, the consequences of not registering their business and the opportunity they have when they register their businesses.”

Some of the campaigners addressed the crowds through loud speakers whilst majority engaged in one-on-one interactions with the audiences.

The campaigners distributed flyers with information on the services the ORC offered.

They interacted with both small and medium-scale business owners urging those who have not registered their business to do so and those who have not renewed their business to do so.

Ms Catherine Gbikpi Benissan, State Attorney, Office of the Registrar of Companies, said registration of business entitled the entity to some privileges.

It gives the business a legal identity and the business is able to secure loans and enter into contracts.

“We realised there are business entities that had registered, but not complying with the regulations of filing their annual returns and renewal,” she noted.

“We are hoping that with this sensitisation, companies and businesses will know the requirements and the obligation to file their returns and stay viable on our books. And companies that have already registered will come to renew annually,” she added.

Ms Benissan said the ORC offered online services and so businesses and companies could go online to register.

“We want every company to comply with the law so that we can grow businesses and make Ghana rank high on the ease of doing business,” she said.