Head of the Ashanti Regional Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC), Ama Akyia Prempeh, has revealed a remarkable growth in business and company registrations in the region. Since 2019, business registrations have seen a significant increase of 394%, while company registrations have soared by 327%.

Prempeh attributes this success to the department's effective sensitization campaigns, which include the strategic relocation of its offices to Adum, the central business district of Kumasi.

The decision to relocate to an ORC-owned office complex in Adum was prompted by a previous incident in 2012 when the landlady of their rented private building in Dadiesoaba, a suburb of Kumasi, threatened to evict the then Registrar-General's Department (RGD).

Recognizing the importance of Kumasi as the region's commercial hub, the Chief State Attorney in charge of the RGD at that time, Joseph Kofi Harlley, led efforts to find a suitable site or building for the office's permanent accommodation.

Their search led them to a suitable piece of land next to St. George's Church, opposite the Catering Rest House along Fuller Road in Adum. The current Registrar of Companies, Jemima Oware, supervised the construction of the new building, which was completed and handed over in June 2022.

During the opening ceremony of the ORC's first office building complex in Adum, Ms. Prempeh revealed that the facility was funded with internally generated funds from both the Registrar-General's Department (RGD) and ORC, at a cost of GH¢8 million. The impressive building boasts 34 offices, two conference halls, four kitchenettes, 21 lavatories, two large car parks, a janitor's office, a pantry and canteen, a reception area, and a security office.

The newly inaugurated building is expected to serve not only the people of Ashanti but also parts of the Western, Oti, and Eastern Regions.

Furthermore, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame Yeboah, announced that an amount of US$3.5 million has been paid for two acres of land at the University of Ghana, Legon, for the construction of the ORC headquarters. This significant step forward was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Finance, Registrar of Companies Jemima Oware, and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

“We have made progress in acquiring a two-acre piece of land near the University of Ghana at Legon to construct the ORC headquarters, Accra.

“The ORC, with the assistance of myself (AG), the finance minister and Attorney-General’s Department, have succeeded in paying-off the required consideration for acquiring the land; which is US$3.5million. I am informed that the architectural drawings for the ORC headquarters will be ready by September 2023, and the process of selecting a contractor will begin,” he said.

“The insightful leadership of Mrs. Oware and guidance of ORC’s board have been very instrumental in propelling it to steadily become one of the most important modern institutions in Ghana’s quest to promote good governance and accountability,” he added.

Former Registrar-General for Ashanti Region, Kofi Harlley; Ashanti Regional Head-ORC, Ama Akyia Prempeh; and the Registrar of Companies, Jemima Oware, were given awards for their contributions to successfully completing the building-land acquisition.