If the ongoing holistic reforms at the Registrar General?s Department go according to plan, foreign investors and local entrepreneurs would register their businesses online by 2009. With the cross-cutting reforms currently transforming operations at the department, the business community has been assured that the registration of businesses will soon be done within two days, instead of the present two weeks.

Giving the assurance during an official contribution at the Meet the Press series in Accra Tuesday, Mrs Jemima Mamaa Oware, a Chief State Attorney at the Registrar General?s Department, was upbeat that the reforms will change the operations of the department for the better.

?With these reforms in place, by 2009 businesses and companies can be registered on-line. So you can sit at your home and register your business,? Mrs Oware stated. She said the reforms involve 13 projects, some of which have linked up, and will link, the department to its regional offices. She told the media that external donors have provided $5 million for the projects. Even before the reforms could establish a foothold at the department, it has reaped ?26.8 billion revenue for the consolidated fund as at the end of September, 2005. Informing the media about revenue when he took his turn at the Meet the Press, Minister for Justice and Attorney General, J Ayikoi Otoo noted that Cabinet has approved that this year the department should retain 15 percent of internally-generated funds for its own operations. ?It is hoped this would enhance work at the department.?

Mr Otoo revealed that though the department has opened two regional offices at Sekondi/Takoradi and Kumasi, only the former office is functional as it is currently recruiting staff for the Kumasi office; while the Tamale office has not been inaugurated yet blue to lack of accommodation.

In addition to the operational reforms being implemented, the physical structures of the head office in Accra are undergoing renovations that will help cut down the time for the registration of businesses. Work on the extension of the front office building of the department?s headquarters, which started six years ago, is still on course. Remarks the Attorney General: ?The project is about 70% complete and we hope that it would be completed by the end of the year.?

On the automation and computerization aspects of the reforms, he said the department has captured about 80% of information on businesses on its computers with $2 million assistance from the Ghana Government, World Bank and DANIDA.

?A business plan has been drawn and approved by DANIDA and Cabinet has given approval to enable the department access the funds for the re-organization of the office. For now, the time for searches and registration has been reduced considerably and it is hoped to improve on the service delivery to the business community once the project has been fully implemented.?

The Justice Minister said the department has initiated collaborative efforts with Ghana Post Company Ltd. for Ghana Post ac agent of the department in the registration of business and the collection of renewals on its behalf.

?The department realized that a lot of businesses failed to have their businesses renewed because of the fact that all of them had to travel to Accra. By this collaboration with Ghana Post, the department is virtually going to the doorsteps of the business community to enable them fulfil these legal requirements. This would also reduce the cost and time of doing business with the department.?

The Department?s main functions are to register companies, business names and partnerships; to act as repertoire of information on businesses and make it available to the domestic and international business communities; and to register patents, trade marks textile designs and other technical intellectual properties. Thus, the Registrar General is the Administrator General for Ghana as well as the official liquidator.

Explaining the functions, role and responsibilities of the Business Law Division of the Ministry of Justice, Mr Otoo said DANIDA is implementing a $30 million Business Sector Programme Support to the private sector between 2003 and 2008. He said DANIDA supported the division to organize advocacy in the form of workshops in Accra and Kumasi, and the nine laws which have been identified for updating.

He said funds are bought sought the implementation for programme institute under the DANIDA ? assisted BSPS also dubbed Front-Runner Project which led to the structuring of the division with units for Business Law Review; Research Co-ordination and Information; Inter-liaison and Private Sector participation.

?Owing to the withdrawal of funding by DANIDA after the initial 18 months project period, efforts are being made to find an institutional home for the business law. Surely, the business law has an important role to play in the promotion of the business community in this ?Golden Age of Business.??

Established in August, 2002, the division?s achievement include the preparation of comprehensive list of all business related laws; the systematic categorization of legislations under various sectors and industry-related headings; and the holistic compilation of views and recommendations of stakeholders. In May 2005, DANIDA supported the division with ?876,042,228.60.

Asked by our Chief Correspondent to comment on the impact of the commercial courts on the economy, the Attorney General replied that the courts have made ?tremendous it impact? since their inception. He disclosed that the Government is awaiting the report of the Committee of Experts on review of the company?s code as the committee has been deliberating on how to carry out its mandate effectively.

On the activities of the Serious Fraud Office, he said a total of 55 cases from public organizations, state agencies, district assemblies and Metropolitan authorities were investigated last year. Out of these cases, 12 have been completed.

He said a total of ?162 billion was found to have been fraudulently appropriated or lost from abuse of public office, especially in the award of public contacts not executed all, or only partially executed. ?A total of one billion, five hundred million cedis has so far been recovered to the state treasury.?