Accra, Sept. 23, GNA - A Business Law Division (BLD) has been established within the Office of the Attorney - General to design a comprehensive programme for business law reform in Ghana.

Papa Owusu Ankoma, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, announced the creation of the Division when he took his turn at the weekly "Meet the Press" series in Accra on Tuesday.

Papa Owusu Ankomah said the Division would ensure inter-agency communication, collaboration and coordination with relevant stakeholders in the review and development of laws affecting the Business Sector. He said a Statute Law Commissioner, appointed to revise all existing laws had completed a draft of the First Volume of Laws, which contained revised Acts, the Constitution and Constitutional Instruments. The Statute Law Commissioner is also compiling an index of all Laws and Constitutional Documents since the 19th Century.

Papa Owusu Ankomah said 16,843 businesses and 202 trademarks were registered last year.

He said 599 trademarks had been registered from January to August this year. Similarly a total of 539 textile designs were registered last year and 149 had so far been registered this year.

The Registrar General's Department (RGD), the Minister said collected 18.7 billion cedis last year and had so far collected about 15 billion cedis this year.

With marriages, the Department registered a total of 2,215 under the Marriage Ordinance in 2002, and had registered 1,515 as at the end of August this year.

Papa Owusu Ankomah said the Ministry of Finance had approved an amount of 700 million cedis for the Public Records Administration and Archives Department for the establishment of a Records Centre and the opening of regional offices in Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi.