Registrar General worries over 13% revenue allocation

The 13 percent revenue allocation to the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) by the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Department is inadequate, the Registrar General, Mrs. Jemima Oware has said.

She explained that though the department generates quite a lot of money, a chunk of the amount goes to the Attorney General while only 13 percent is given to the RGD for its operations.

“We are currently in talks with the Ministry to increase the allocation and if it doesn’t work then we have no option than to opt for autonomy in order to control our own resources. We have challenges with revenue,” Mrs. Oware told the Goldstreet Business.

Going autonomous will enable the department to garner and manage its finances to progressively pursue an education and public awareness programme on the RGD.

As at February 2018, the department had raked in revenue totaling GHS 75.2m but the department believes it could garner more if its online platform is made more vibrant to increase registration at people’s comfort

Mrs. Oware disclosed that the department, as part of measures to becoming autonomous, has submitted to Parliament the companies’ bill and hopes that it is passed into law by the end of the year.

“The bill, when passed, will enable us to be known as the Office of the Registrar of Companies, hiving off the other businesses that we carry currently out,” she averred.

Explaining further, Mrs. Oware said, to embark on such sensitization drive nationwide and to acquire additional logistics, the department will have to mobilize adequate revenue which is currently not available.

“We still have a lot more people walking in to register their businesses against the use of the online portal, but we realize we haven’t done enough to sensitize the public on the use of the online registration portal,” she said.

“With revenue, we’ll be able to improve our services far better than we currently are doing; and also improve the software to enable people to register their businesses from the comfort on their homes”.