Registrar General Removes Names Of 2,788 Firms From Companies Register

The Registrar General’s Department has removed the names of 2,788 companies from Ghana’s Companies Register. The affected companies also failed to comply with directive issued by department to file their annual returns or risk being delisted also from the Companies Register. The Registrar-General’s Department noted that

the names of these companies which were also earlier published on the department’s website and in the national dailies were part of the first batch of over 100,000 defaulting or dormant companies the department had earmarked to struck off the Companies Register as part of its clean-up exercise. These

Companies include Companies Limited by Share: 1,374, Companies Limited by Guarantee (Churches, Fun Clubs, Associations, Unions, Schools etc.): 978, External Companies; 41, and Others (Voluntarily owned Companies for delisting); 395. This exercise was carried out in accordance with Section 289 of the Companies

Act 2019 (Act 992) which connotes that a company can be stricken off the Companies Register for failing to file its Annual Returns on time or failing to notify the Registrar of Companies of a change in the Company’s Registered Office and Principal Place of Business, the statement noted. The Department however urged all

defaulting and dormant companies whether in operation or not, whose names do not appear on the first batch of deleted companies to file their annual returns by June 30th, 2022 to avoid being removed from the Companies Register in phase two of the delisting exercise which begins in earnest in the February 2022.

Furthermore, Companies and Businesses which are yet to carry out updates of their records with the Department dubbed ‘re-registration’ have from 5th January to 31st December 2022 to update their records with the Department. These over 500,000 Companies Entities and Business Names include those registered

between 1960 and 2011, it added. Any Company official with knowledge of the Company’s non-existence or having no more interest in the Company’s Business Name should write to the Registrar-General indicating such intention, or contact the Department Client Service Line on 055-765-3130 or 030-266-6081 to indicate such

intent. It further noted that the penalty for late filing of Annual Returns will be increased from GH¢450.00 to GH¢500.00 after June 30th, 2022. Fees for filing Annual Returns and Beneficial Ownership information remain GH¢50.00 and GH¢60.00 respectively.