Other companies whose financial year would end before June 30, 2020 would be expected to file by December 31, 2020.

A statement signed by Madam Constance Adomaa Takyi, Head of Public Relations, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday, said the extension was necessary due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the country resulting in the inability of most companies to hold their annual general meetings.

It said the filing of annual returns was mandatory as stated in section 126 (1&2) of the Companies Act, 2019, (Act 992), “that a company shall at least once in every year deliver to the Registrar for registration of an annual return including particulars of every member of the company and every beneficial owner of that company in the form and relating to matters prescribed in the fifth schedule”.

The statement added that “once every year the partners shall deliver to the Registrar of partnerships a statement in the prescribed form renewing the partnership”.

It urged companies to take advantage of the extension to file their returns and that failure to comply would require a penalty payment of GHC450.00 effective August 3, 2020.

The statement said to be in good standing in the database and prevent being removed from the register, businesses would have to pay for the number of years they had not renewed up to date but would not pay penalty.

It advised members to make payment at the premises with the on-site bank, Fidelity Bank Limited, or any other branch of the Bank and not to any individual or any mobile money number.

Online filing of annual renewals could be done on the Registrar- General’s Department portal, it added.