By June 30, 2024, 65 registered professional bodies, including the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), face the risk of having their membership revoked from the national register of companies.
This consequence stems from their failure to submit annual accounts and update their certificate of membership.
The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) has taken legal action in response, citing non-compliance with Section 16 of the Professional Bodies Registration Act 1973 as the reason for these measures.
A statement issued on May 13 noted that “the exercise has become imperative due to failure by these Professional Bodies to file their Annual Accounts and update their Certificate of Membership in accordance with Section 16 of the Professional Bodies Registration Act, 1973, NRCD 143 with the Registrar of Professional Bodies.”
“Following a meeting with the Executive Council Members of all registered Professional Bodies, the Registrar of Companies (ROC) who is the regulator of Professional Bodies, directed those who had been in default for more than two years and had not updated their members’ certification to do so by the end of December 2023 or risk their name being struck off the Professional Bodies Register in accordance with section 11(b) of the Professional Bodies Act 1973(NRCD 143).
Currently, Sixty-Five (65) out of Ninety-Two (91) registered Professional Bodies (PBs) have not complied with the directive of the Registrar of Professional Bodies to renew their Professional Bodies Certificates and that of their members and therefore have been found to be in default,” it added.
However, the ORC emphasized that professional bodies in default still have the opportunity to rectify their status by filing their Annual Accounts before the June 30, 2024 deadline.
This filing must include the Audited Accounts of the Body, an updated list of its Members, and any changes made to its Constitution.
Failure to comply will result in the removal of defaulters from the Register starting at the end of June 2024, as outlined in sections 15 (1)(2) and 16(1)(2).
Despite this, the Office of the Registrar of Companies stated its commitment to ongoing awareness campaigns and public education regarding the importance of registered Professional Bodies maintaining good standing with the ORC.
Attached is the list of sixty-five (65) registered Professional Bodies in default as of April 22, 2024.
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