The Registrar-General’s Department (RGD) has informed the business community and general public that it has delisted 2,788 companies from its Companies Register for defaulting to file their Annual Returns with the Department.

These companies, the Department said in a statement signed by Registrar General Jemima Oware, “failed to comply with the directive issued by the Department to file their Annual Returns or risk being delisted from the Companies Register”.

The names of these companies, which were earlier published on the Department’s website and in the national dailies, were part of the first batch of more than 100,000 defaulted and dormant companies the Department had earmarked on to strike 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, union, schools etc.): 978, external companies: 41 and others (Voluntarily owned up 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 Department by this release urges all defaulting and dormant companies, whether in operations 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 February 2022”, the statement said.

Furthermore, it noted that 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 to 2011.

The Department said: “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”.

The Department noted that the “penalty for late filing of Annual Returns will be increased from GH¢450.00 to GH¢500.00 after June 30, 2022”, adding: “Fees for filing Annual Returns and Beneficial Ownership information remains GH¢50.00 and GH¢60.00 respectively”.