Ghana’s Registrar-General says it is deleting about 600,000 firms from it companies register, here's why

These registered companies, according to the department, have been dormant for a while, and have not shown any signs of renewing or updating their records with the Registrar-General’s Department.

The companies are part of the over one million companies registered with the Registrar-General’s Department.

The Registrar-General, Jemima Oware disclosed this when she spoke on the sidelines of a seminar by the Institute of Directors Ghana on Director Responsibilities in the New Companies Act 992.

She noted that companies will be given a time frame to correct any anomaly that may apply to their registration, and that failure to do so would require a penalty followed by their companies being expunged from the database.

“We have over a million companies on the register, but many of them are not doing any serious business. So, we are going to come up with a notice very soon. If you know you have a business and you are not interested in carrying on, just inform us, so we take it off the register,” she said.

Adding that “But if you are doing serious business, there will be a need to update your records by being re-registered by getting unique tax identification numbers for all your directors, shareholders; get a digital address, file your audited and annual financial statements,” she said.

Mrs Oware added that the Registrar-General’s Department plans on publishing a list of all companies that are not in good standing and are up for possible deletion.

“My plan is to put out the names by next month and start the process. If you don’t want that kind of embarrassment, then you come to the office and update your records; because clearly, about 400,000 are the ones doing serious business,” she said.