The Registrar General’s department (RGD) has issued a September deadline for businesses and organisations to update their records with the department, or risk been expunged from its system. This was disclosed by the deputy Registrar General, Jemima Oware, at the official launch of the RGD eRegistrar Portal.

Mrs. Oware explained that the decision is to ensure that businesses are renewed and properly identified. She said: “All businesses in Ghana before September 30th -- if you are seriously doing business -- come and update your records into this new database”.

The deputy Registrar General explained that: “When people are doing searches they can see the name of your company in there and find out those who are really behind it, otherwise after September 30th we will strike out the names of those who have not updated… what it means is that to us you are not active,” she added.

Currently, the RDG has 1million businesses on its present database, and is expecting more to upgrade into the new database.

“What it means to us is that you are not active, and the law is very clear that you should activate your businesses by filing annual returns and renewing it on a yearly basis” Jemima Oware said.

The eRegistrar Portal launch is to highlight changes in the new business registration process and to solicit feedback from clients, in order to complete the process of reforming the current business registration regime.

The Portal will provide clients with the ability to transact business online with the Department in relation to Business/Company registration, marriage registration ,Estate Administration, E-payments, Online filing among others.

Minister of Communications Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, who launched the portal, lauded the initiative and added that: “It is a strong statement of government’s intent to eliminate the digital gap, and we believe the portal will also provide trust and confidence at the department”.

The Executive chairman of GCNet, Dr. Nortey K. Omaboe whose organisation is one of the partners in the e-government project, added: “The system is based on the highest international ICT standard and will improve significantly the system of doing businesses,” he said.

It forms part of the e-Government project with an objective of creating a more customer-friendly-oriented public service delivery system, and will allow access to government services through the use of direct access technologies such as the Internet and other methods.

The website can be accessed via two links -- www.rgd.gov.gh and www.rgdservices.com -- and is integrated with the Ghana Revenue Authority eTax portal, with both making use of the Tax Indentification Number (TIN) to identify Portal users.