A GH¢8 million three-storey edifice, jointly constructed with Internally Generated Funds by the Registrar General’s Department and the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC), has been commissioned in Kumasi.
The ORC is a financial autonomy which undertakes the registration of companies, business names, subsidiary business names, partnerships, professional bodies, official liquidation of companies and regular insolvency practitioners.
The Office of the Registrar of Companies is established by an Act of Parliament, Companies Act 2019.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, who commissioned the edifice on Monday, noted that the ORC had made great strides within a year of its inauguration, and hoped the new edifice would inspire the staff to give off their best in offering quality services to subscribers and patrons.
He noted that if effectively harnessed, the ORC possessed the ability to be a formidable organ of the state in the area of good governance and the fight against corruption, for which he believed it was absolutely imperative for it to have permanent offices around the country, and get firmly established in every region and district.
He assured the ORC of the government’s support to acquire its own permanent offices in all the regions of the country, so as to improve service delivery and ease of doing business.
He disclosed that the government had fully complied with the dictates of Act 992 by ensuring that the ORC now kept 100% of its internally generated funds for its activities, and assist the Board and management in pursuing more development.
The AG stressed the need to undertake a comprehensive and effective digitisation of its operations, in line with the provisions of sections 385 (9) and 378 of Act 992, which require that almost every aspect of the operations of the Registrar of Companies be effected electronically after five years from the commencement date of the Act establishing it.
He hoped the hardworking staff would transform the ORC into one of the most efficient institutions in the country, and deliver world-class services to ensure efficiency, transparency and accountability in doing business in Ghana.
The Minister of Justice acknowledged the roles and contributions by the various stakeholders towards the completion of the new office complex.
He mentioned the Ministry for Finance, Chairman and members of the Board of the ORC, the first Registrar of Companies, Mrs. Jemima Oware, Nana Ama Akyiaa Prempeh, Regional head of the ORC, the former Registrar-General, Mr. Joseph Kofi Harlley, the World Bank Group, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Ghana Economic Transformation Project (GETP).
The Board Chairman of the ORC, Mr. Seth Asante, urged the staff to constantly improve upon their capacities, and make Ghana Africa’s preferred destination of business.
Mrs. Jemima Oware, Registrar of Companies, assured that with the recruitment of its staff, the institution would showcase excellence and commitment in delivering its core mandate of first class business registration services to the satisfaction of clients.
Mrs. Emelia Botchwey, Regional Coordinating Director representing the Regional Minister, noted that the new office would give meaning to the decentralisation policy, and help reduce pressure on the Registrar General’s Department.
She hoped the administrative processes in business registration would be streamlined to ensure a climate of trust and protection of the interests of business entities.
