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Registrar General's Department
inaugurates Client Service Unit
Accra, Feb. 27, Ghanadot/GNA - The Registrar General's
Department on Wednesday inaugurated a Client Service Unit to
reduce business registration time and serve its customers
better.
In addition, the Company also introduced an electronic
(online) registration of businesses, an automated front desk
office aimed at reducing delays and also stamping out
corrupt practices.
This means that registration of businesses in Ghana would be
fast-tracked and streamlined within a maximum of five days,
compared with the 14 days stipulated by the World Bank.
With the innovations, Fidelity Bank takes full
responsibility for the collection of moneys it receives from
clients of the Department.
In addition, the Department has opened fully automated
offices in Kumasi and Takoradi and will open another in
Tamale to decentralize the process of business registration
to save time and resources for the many business operators
and prospective entrepreneurs who throng the Department for
service.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Joe Ghartey,
who inaugurated the facility, said the nation could be
assured of the creation of more businesses and growth in
employment when the time to register a business is reduced,
and psychic and monetary wastage eliminated.
He said the requirement for fair, effective and efficient
procedures was priority on the agenda of the Business Law
Reform Programme.
The Attorney General said, "While appreciating the
importance of this new development, let us not loose sight
of the other challenges of the business community. Indeed
the creation of the appropriate institutional framework for
business will need the support of a complementary legal
framework."
He said, since the enactment of the Companies Act, 1963, Act
179, there had been only few amendments and these were
related to the financial assistance in the acquisition of
shares, limitations on the powers of directors to among
others things waive or modify the applications of
prospectuses and statements in lieu of prospectuses, and the
control of public invitations relating to external
companies.
Mr. Ghartey said the preparation of the Companies Bill in
2003, addressed a few of the actual concerns of the business
community and also welcomed provisions in the proposed Bill
such as the use of information technology to assist in the
forwarding of documents and the determination of prescribed
fees by the legislative instruments.
Government, he said, was still committed to fighting
corruption, which was one of the main factors known to
increase the cost of doing business, adding that, a World
Bank and Transparency International report had shown that
about eight per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was
lost to corruption which was higher than that of education
and health.
He commended the contribution of Mrs. Owiredu Gyampoh, the
former Registrar General and all who contributed immensely
in bringing the project to fruition.
Mr Joseph Kofi Harley, the Acting Registrar-General said the
Department was fully in support of the business law reforms
programme being spearheaded by the Ministry of Justice and
Attorney-General.
He said the reforms would ensure that investment made into
the Department did not go to waste in addition to reducing
stress and corruption.
Mr William Krofa, Member of the Private Enterprise
Foundation said the private sector played a key role in the
development of the nation as well as alleviating the burden
of government in providing employment.
"The more the sector employs people the less burden for
government," he said and commended the new face of the
Department but was quick to add that nice buildings did not
provided service, but business oriented people.
He therefore, called for good customer services and a change
in the attitudes of workers to boost the image of the
Department.
GNA
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