The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has launched its online registration portal to make business registration services less cumbersome.
Developed by the GCNet and funded by the World Bank, the portal will enable clients to transact business online with respect to business/company registration, marriage registration, estate administration, e-payments, online booking of marriage and chats and scheduling of appointments with officers of the department.
The portal is also integrated with the Ghana Revenue Authority e-tax portal and both make use of the Tax Identification Number (TIN) to identify portal users.
It is expected to cut down the weeks of frustration and anxiety that clients of the RGD had to go through in transacting business with the department, as the processing of applications are expected to be completed in 48 hours if the clients meet all requirements.
The portal — a public private partnership is also supported by the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) and the Ministry of Finance.
It forms part of the country’s e-government project that promotes the public sector’s use of information and communications technology (ICT) with the aim of improving information and service delivery, encouraging citizen participation in the decision-making process and making government more accountable, transparent and effective.
Effective business registration
The Minister of Communication, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, who launched the portal, said it was an effective way of conducting business with the RGD.
He said it was a statement of commitment to provide trust and confidence in doing business with the RGD which had benefits, including saving cost, promoting efficient use of time and convenience.
He said 21 community information centres were being established in some districts across the country to make it possible for people in rural and peri-urban areas to also access the portal.
The Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, observed that the online procedure would introduce transparency and accountability in the operations of the department.
“This would fast track business registration in Ghana and cut down the delays that characterise business registration,” he said.
In addition, the department has opened fully automated offices in Kumasi and Takoradi and will open another in Tamale to decentralise the process of business registration to save time and resources for the many business operators and prospective entrepreneurs who throng the department for service.
The Deputy Registrar General, Ms Jemima Oware, said the new system would eliminate the activities of middlemen who contributed to the cost of doing business.
“The e-registrar has made business registration accessible to all businesses irrespective of their location,” he said.
The Executive Chairman of GCNet, Dr Nortey K. Omaboe, said the launch of the portal was a new dawn and called on the public and officials of the RGD to let go of the old ways and embrace the new system.
Source: Daily Graphic