The Registrar-General’s Department (RGD) says it has commenced a review of the sample group of companies listed on its website for strike off.

The exercise is to validate companies that complied with the directive for dormant companies to file their returns or risk being delisted from the companies register at the end of June 30, 2021.

A statement from the Department, issued and signed by Mrs Jemima Maama Oware, the Registrar-General, said the three-month long review began on July 1, 2021 and would end on September 30, 2021.

It said the review had become necessary after the final notice was issued on March, 18, 2021, to officials of dormant companies to file their annual returns to be in good standing with the Department.

It said the Department had earlier issued two notices on March 12, 2020 and December 01, 2020, and had published them in the national dailies and the Department’s website respectively in accordance with the Companies Act 2019, Act 992.

The statement said the Companies were Public/Private Companies Limited by Shares, Public/Private Companies Limited by Guarantee (Associations, Fun Clubs, Churches, etc.), Private Unlimited Companies and External Companies.

It said the strike off exercise became necessary because the Department’s Company database became bloated with names of dormant Companies entered onto the Companies Register.

The statement said, 257,241 Companies existing in the new database had not filed their Returns or Amendments with the Department and that also, 670,282 Companies in the Legacy system had not carried out their re-registration as at the release of the first notice in March, 2020.

The statement said Companies due for strike off still in default after the three-month review would be published in the national sailies and on the Department’s website.

It said a Company’s status during the period would be classified as being inactive and would not be able to be accessed for any business transaction for 12 years except by a court order to the Registrar.

The statement said such Companies were, therefore, advised to use the three-month review to undertake all the necessary measures to be in good standing with the Department.

The Department urged all clients to visit its website www.rdg.gov.gh, click on news and scroll down to view the list of Companies the Registrar intended to strike off the Register.

The statement said penalty for late filing remained GH¢450.00 with GH¢50.00 for filing of Annual Returns for each year.

It asked Company Officials to include their Beneficial Ownership information when filing their Annual Returns.