- Companies must file annual returns by end of June to avoid deregistration
- Over 500,000 firms received the directive; 8,895 still non-compliant
- Companies removed from the register cannot legally operate in Ghana
Registrar of Companies, Jemima Oware, has issued a final warning to companies and businesses that have yet to file their annual returns, stressing that failure to comply by the end of this month will result in their names being struck off the companies register.
This follows a directive issued to over 500,000 firms, urging them to meet their filing obligations or risk being removed from the official register.
According to Ms. Oware, the affected companies have received multiple notices and reminders over the past two years, yet only a few have come forward voluntarily to request removal from the register.
In an interview with ChannelOne News, she emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the current grace period and warned that non-compliant businesses will be barred from operating in Ghana if they fail to act.
“This has serious implications. Once your name is removed from the register, you are legally prohibited from conducting any business in Ghana,” she stated.
She revealed that when the exercise began, there were nearly 10,000 companies that had never filed annual returns or financial statements. In the initial phase, 2,203 companies were listed for potential deregistration and given an opportunity to update their records.
“Currently, we still have 8,895 companies that remain non-compliant. These are the entities we’ve given until the end of June to regularize their status. From July 1, any company that has not complied will be removed from the register.”
