Directorates & Units

Registrar of Companies

The Registrar of Companies (ROC) is responsible for providing strategic leadership in the implementation of the mandate and policy objectives of the ORC and the execution of ORC’s day-to-day administration. The ROC oversees the management of the resources of the Office. The ROC provides directives and guidelines to give full effect to the provisions of the Companies Act. The ROC has a secretariat which coordinates the general services of the Office to support the day-to day activities of the Registrar.

The Directorate is responsible for external communication, protocol services, Client services and stakeholder engagement.

The specific functions of Corporate Affairs are as follows:

Develops, implements, reviews policies and strategies aimed at marketing the Organization’s services and building the corporate brand.
Sensitizes and educates ORC employees, the public and other stakeholders on the Organization’s policies, programmes, projects and customer service delivery activities and receives feedback for continuous improvement.
Leads the implementation of initiatives that ensure effective communication, visibility, public relations, stakeholder analysis and engagement.
Facilitates the production and dissemination of brochures, handouts, leaflets and promotional videos, company bulletin and other materials of the ORC.
Facilitates official visits to, and from the ORC, as well as ensures the smooth reception of dignitaries throughout the ORC (i.e., Head and Regional Offices).
Facilitates official travel arrangements, both local and foreign, for ORC.

Client Services Unit (CSU)

The CSU is responsible for the management of client relationships and support. The unit ensures client satisfaction and feedback.

The unit performs the following functions:

Ensures customers’ questions and queries concerning the ORC services are addressed.
Provides general information through face-to-face, phone, email, and live chat to clients.
Collaborates with other directorates to conduct research and undertake client satisfaction surveys.
Directs clients to appropriate directorates/units for delivery of services.
Facilitates the provision of VVIP services.

The Directorate is responsible for planning, organizing and coordinating the registration, renewal, amendment and regulation of companies, partnerships, business names, and professional bodies in accordance with related statutes. The Directorate ensures that systematic, transparent, and accountable processes and requirements are applied; input registrants’ details into e-registrar for payment; open file for applicants/registrants; approve, reject or query applications and issue certificate and other supporting documents to successful applicants/registrants.

The Directorate performs the following functions:

Ensures that due processes are followed to register, amend and renew registered businesses and companies (Limited Liability Companies, Companies Limited by Guarantees and External Companies) as may be requested in accordance with relevant statutes.
Maintains accurate and updated records on all registered, amended and renewed/amended Companies.
Provides inputs for the formulation of policies and strategies for the registration, amendment and renewal of Companies as well as the overall organisational development.

The unit carries out audits and evaluates the activities of the ROC to ensure that the system of internal controls provides reasonable assurance to management.

Specifically, the unit is responsible for the following:

Ensures the ORC’s financial operations are in line with internal and external financial management policies and regulations.
Conducts risk assurance and internal audits, ensuring management implements systems to address identified risks and audit findings.
Evaluates the ORC’s compliance with enactments, policies, standards, systems, and procedures.
Ensures that assets and properties of ORC are adequately safeguarded and used judiciously.
Ensures that the plans, goals, and objectives of the ORC are achieved to set standards of quality and performance.
Ensures that risks are adequately managed and facilitates the prevention and detection of fraud, abuse, and waste.

The Deputy Registrar (Operational Services) supports the Registrar of Companies in providing strategic leadership in the registration and regulation of all types of businesses.

Specifically, the office supervises the following areas:

Registration of Business Names, Companies, Partnerships, and Professional Bodies.
Appointment and regulation of Company Inspectors.
Insolvency and Liquidation of Companies.

The Directorate provides the following functions:

Provides legal advisory services to Management.
Liaise with the Office of the Attorney General to represent ORC in court
Facilitates the gazetting of information to be published in the Commercial Industrial Bulletin.
Collaborates with other Directorates, Divisions and Units of the ORC to ensure compliance with laws, rules and regulations.
Review and advice on applications for registration and renewal for companies, partnerships, businesses and professional bodies.

The ILSD is responsible for the delivery on ORC mandates which include supervision, advocacy, enforcement and overall oversight of the new regime regulation of insolvency services and supervision of activities of insolvency practitioners including their sanctioning. It is also responsible for insolvency, administration, restructuring, and de-registration and liquidation of companies (excluding banks, insurance and regulated entities that are exempted by S.1 (3) of Act 1015) voluntarily or involuntarily. The Directorate shall perform the following specific functions:

Acts in the best interest of creditors as a whole;
Takes reasonable action to achieve the best price on realization of assets; and
Carries out the insolvency process as quickly and efficiently as is practicable.
Reviews reports on companies under insolvency;
Provides oversight on the insolvency process;
Takes reasonable action to achieve the best price on realization of assets.
Investigates company’s financial affairs, and establish what caused it to fail;
Investigates possible offenses by company or directors of company;
Releases the asset of the insolvent company and achieves the best possible price;
Addresses outstanding claims against the limited company and satisfy the claims as set out by law;
Distributes the returns to the company’s creditors in order of priority.
Supports businesses to make whatever course of action needed to manage financially distressed companies easier;
Supports effective measures and quick decision-making to enable businesses alleviate financial pressures to address legal obligations and recover timely.
Supports companies develop new strategies to survive in a competitive environment.
Supports data collection, analysis and reporting
Carry out research, commission studies, disseminate information and provide public education in the area of insolvency administration;
Undertakes research, Commissions studies, disseminates information and provides public education in the area of insolvency administration;
Establishes and maintains communication and liaise with international agencies, including the International Commission on Trade Law in international insolvencies and insolvency administration.
Registers, Licenses as well as maintains and updates a Register of Insolvency Practitioners;
Facilitates the review, conduct and performance of Insolvency Practitioners;
Receives reports from Liquidators and Insolvency Practitioners on the administration of insolvencies;
Suspends Insolvency Practitioners from continuing in that office subject to the relevant sections under the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Act, 2020 (Act 1015);
Reviews the law and practice relating to insolvency of Companies and other bodies corporate in the country and make recommendations to the Registrar on any changes considered necessary.

The Inspections Directorate undertakes onsite inspection/investigation of businesses to verify and report on compliance to approved business standards and regulations to improve business processes and products. The Directorate additionally has the responsibility for applying appropriate punitive measures against persistent non-compliant business entities.

The directorate perform the following specific functions:

Leads the implementation of corporate inspection
Leads in ensuring compliance to standards and guidelines.
Conducts sensitization and education for business owners and operatives on business compliance, regulations, standards, practices and risk management.
Develops standards and procedures for assessing business compliance breaches and determination of corresponding penalties.
Provides inputs for the formulation of policies and strategies for the overall organizational development.
Identifies defaulting businesses and serve them notices of penalties.
Develops and updates database of defaulting companies
Compiles list of companies to be delisted from the companies register.
Conducts sensitization and education for business owners and operatives on penalty regimes and their application.
Develops a framework for consent settlement for payments.
Provides inputs for the formulation of policies and strategies for penalties administration.

The directorate reports to the Deputy Registrar for Operations and is responsible for the development of ORC's plans, programmes as well as budgets, and monitoring and evaluating the implementation of approved policies, plans and programmes. Detailed description of the various units under the department are provided as follows.

The Directorate is supported by two Units namely:

Research Unit, RU

The unit is responsible for the conduct of sector, market, stakeholder and organizational performance research for innovation, organizational performance and competitiveness.

Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, PPMEU

The unit is responsible for developing a monitoring and evaluation framework for tracking and reporting ORC's performance in line with relevant state laws and reporting timelines. Specifically, the monitoring and evaluation framework sets out baseline conditions and key performance indicators for measuring operational performance of ORC.

Ensure improved corporate governance, public accountability and national level strategic policy, planning and decision-making.
The Unit also maintains an updated database on all aspects of ORCs activities and performance.
The unit coordinates plans and synthesises information/data from all directorates/divisions and units for the development of ORC's overall organisational budget in line with planned programmes and activities. The unit also forecasts the revenue and expenses of the Organisation.

The Deputy Registrar (General Services) supports the Registrar of Companies in providing strategic leadership in services related to General Administration, Finance, Procurement, Human Resources Management and Information Technology.

The unit is responsible for managing all procurement services for the ORC in line with relevant regulations and statutes.

Ensures purchase requisition are prepared and approved by authorized staff;
Reviews and negotiates contracts with vendors through consultants.
Ensures collection of pro-forma invoices and canvassing from potential goods and services suppliers are done according to the ORC and Public Procurement regulations and statutes;
Ensures reviews of canvassing sheets, and preparation of purchase orders and contracting follows laid down procurement regulations and statutes;
Ensures goods and services procured are received, in line with requisition specifications, and material received reports are completed and signed in line with internal protocols.
Ensure compliance with contractual terms and conditions
Prepare procurement related documents, contracts, guidelines and instructions.
Provide inputs for the preparation of procurement plans and ensure the effective management of the procurement process in line with relevant laws, policies and directives.
Organise entity tender committee meetings
Forwarding tender documents above the mandate of ETC to central review committee
Facilitates annual procurement audits of all processes and procedures
Produce reports on engagement of consultants, contractors, suppliers etc. for decision making.
The stores are responsible for ensuring all items procured are received into stores.
This unit manages and controls inventories with the most effective manner with the aim of achieving value for money.
Ensures the verification and accuracy of requisition; receive and inspects goods; assess perishability, hazardous nature of goods and storage limitations.
Maintains a stock control and reporting, goods & services receipt notes, and puts in place stock cards to control and manage the use of each item procured and received into stock.
Issue waybills to cover items to be transferred from one office store to the other, and as well as conducts stock reconciliation.

This Directorate ensures efficient and effective delivery of the services and facilities necessary to support the administrative and other functions of the ORC. The services and administrative support functions include Records, Library, Stores, Estate Management & Security and Transport. The Directorate further ensures that procedures and processes are adhered to in line with all administrative policies of the ORC. The directorate performs the following specific functions.

Estate Management EMU

The unit is responsible for the conduct of sector, market, stakeholder and organizational performance research for innovation, organizational performance and competitiveness.

Provides advice on estate management issues and ensures that repairs and works on facilities and equipment are properly carried out at the ORC. In addition, the unit is responsible for managing all assets and facilities of the ORC, as well as security of the ORC premises.
Ensures there is a procedure in place to document the existence of all facilities and assets procured, define and use procedure to conduct regular physical counts, and reconciliations to verify the existence of the ORC assets.
Ensures that there is mechanism to handle/report any asset loss, theft or damage of asset bought with the ORC funds, as well as institute procedure to investigate, document and report to management of all findings and place the actions taken/report on file.
Updates the assets register of ORC.
Ensures the security and the safety of all staff and property of the ORC are always protected.
Cleaners ensure the cleanliness of the office internal building, office premises and property.

Records Unit, RU

Ensures the existence of a records management system for the creation and receiving of records.
Establishes records distribution and usage system for proper and timely circulation of records, as well as usage of documents (active, pending, etc.).
Provides advice on records management infrastructure in the ORC.
Undertakes records classification (records inventory), including sorting and arranging records, storage and custody (centralize/decentralized), retrieval methodology.
Establishes access and security for records (document access user permission).
Establishes records maintenance i.e., comprehensive file structure plan to determine records retention, as well as determine manner of disposition (storage, archival, scan and destruction).

Records Management Unit

The unit reports to the Records Unit. It ensures the continuous management of operational records and physical documents administration, in accordance with the PRAAD Act 535. Specifically, the unit undertakes the following:

Documents Classification, Registration and Reference;
Library Operations;
Archives Operations;
Conducts systematic organization, maintenance, security and safety of files;
Undertakes retrievals of files during the conduct of searches;
Ensures that documents and information are properly stored to ensure confidentiality and easy accessibility on request;
Plans, registers, organizes and maintains individual files, documents and information into systematic and manageable packages to ensure their safety and easy retrieval;
Applies effective and efficient methodologies to retrieve files and information in response to customers’, managements and stakeholders’ queries and needs.

Transport Unit, TU

Ensures all transport and fleet of vehicles (including vehicles, motorbikes, office generators) are fit for purpose to deliver work.
All vehicles/fleet are assigned logbooks for the efficient and effective monitoring and supervision and management of all transport vehicles/fleet.
Monitors and supervises usage of vehicle in accordance with public service transport procedures.
Recommends specifications for the procurement and maintenance of vehicles.
Ensures that vehicles and drivers of ORC have the approved licensing requirements for movement.
Prepares reports on vehicles/motorbikes for management decision making;

The Finance Division manages the long-term and day-to-day monetary operations and strategy of the ORC. The Directorate further ensures efficient and effective generation of revenue, and utilization of funds in line with budgets allocated and approved by the Board in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921). The Directorate performs the following specific functions.

Responsible for all Financial accounting and reporting within the ORC.
Is responsible for the maintenance of the ORC books (general ledger).
Is responsible for accounts payable and cash management.
Is responsible for investment, fund raising, and risk management function of the finance directorate.
Is responsible for monitoring and liquidation of all employee-initiated advances and expenses, e.g., travel, lodging, meals, etc.
Ensures that all business transactions are properly recorded and managed, the general ledger is the source for all the ORC financial reports; and also cost accounting and fixed accounting.
Responsible for all incoming payments.
Ensures all payments and receipts are collated.
Reconciles reports in accordance with approved financial regulations and procedures and standards.
Mobilises resources from other sources to support the operations of ORC

The Directorate ensures that the appropriate processes are engaged to enable staff with requisite qualification for various types of work in the ORC are recruited, trained and motivated on a continuous basis for the efficient discharge of their duties.

The Directorate also is engaged in personnel management, organizational development, organizational effectiveness and learning, staff development, career and professional development, staff performance appraisal along with labor relations. The directorate is responsible for the following specific functions.

Develops plans for organizational development, change management, succession planning, diversity and inclusion, and critical elements that ensure that ORC remains competitive, adaptable and resilient regardless of unforeseen economic shocks that may affect its organizational effectiveness.
Draws up recruitment plans for the ORC, facilitates the placement processes of applicants and provides basis for determination and payment of salaries, allowances and other financial entitlements of staff.
Collates inputs for the maintenance of Human Resources Management Information Systems (HRMIS) for the organization.
Develops and supports the implementation of policies and strategies for a sustainable professional progression of staff of ORC.
Develops facilitates the implementation of the organization’s operational protocols and onboarding strategies such as Human Resources policy and management manual, code of conduct and scheme of service, etc.
Develops a framework for managing performance of staff of the ORC
Ensures the setting up of key result areas and targets to achieve the goals of the Directorates and Units
Recommends training needs from performance assessment for consideration and implementation
Develops framework for Performance Improvement Programmes for non-performing staff.
Assesses the skills and knowledge of employees to determine what training programs would be beneficial;
Collates training needs identified through staff performance appraisal systems and other capacity needs studies and leads the development and delivery of targeted training modules to improve the knowledge, skills and abilities of ORC staff.
Manages Mentoring, Coaching, knowledge sharing/knowledge management programs.
Ensures the development of curriculum, training materials, and determines the delivery method for training programs;
Facilitates training sessions and workshops for ORC employees, either in-person or online;
Measures the impact of training programs on employee performance and making improvements as necessary;
Allocates resources and manages budgets for training and development programs;
Keeps up to date with industry trends and best practices in training and development;
Ensure that training programs align with overall organizational goals and objectives.
Undertakes monthly validation of staff and updates database of staff;
Ensures compliance with the HRMIS policy of the Public Service.
Liaise with the Public Services Commission and Fair Wages and Salary Commission to determine the appropriate pay structure and compensation packages for staff of ORC.
Facilitates the timely resolution of issues of staff salary distortions
Analyzes job duties and responsibilities to determine the appropriate pay level for each position;
Ensures that employees receive accurate and timely paychecks, as well as overseeing the administration of compensation packages;
Prepares and manages budgets for compensation and benefits programs;
Collects and analyzes data on compensation practices, trends, and costs, and providing regular reports to senior management.
Supports the ORC with policies and strategies to ensure the over-all well-being of the organisation’s employees.
Promotes improvement of the working conditions of staff, the overall working efficiency of the organisation, the morale of staff, and a harmonious atmosphere within the ORC.
Develops and promotes a functional mechanism for preventing abuse, discrimination and exploitation as well as addressing staff workplace grievances.
Ensures proper facilities and amenities like sanitization facilities, safe drinking water, overall hygiene, rest rooms etc are made available for the staff.
Advocates for the provision of medical/health care assistance, insurance, retirement and condolence/compassionate support to staff and their families.
Plans and leads the organisation of socio-cultural activities such as staff durbars, town hall meetings annual days, fun fairs, exhibitions, sports competition, and picnics.
Organises employees into appropriate associations/ unions consistent with the labour law of the country.
Leads the development and implementation of strategies to promote the occupational rights and responsibilities of employees.
Sensitises and educates employees on crucial issues related to national and international employment and labour policies and laws.

The IT Directorate is one of the structures reporting directly to under the Registrar of Companies. The core function of the IT Directorate is to assist the ORC to enhance the innovative use of IT products and services for improved organizational capacity and performance towards effective and efficient service delivery in consonance with the organization’s mandate. It provides technical leadership in shaping the organization’s IT (Infrastructure Networks and Security) policy and strategies, and operational support in designing, establishing, maintaining and securing information technology infrastructure, network and software aligned to the business strategy of the ORC. The Directorate is also responsible for ensuring effective digital interrelationship with systems and institutions pertinent to ORC’s core business of registration and maintenance of information on business entities in the country.

The Directorate is responsible for the following specific functions.

Provides technical inputs for the development and implementation of ORC’s IT policy and strategies.
Recommends technical specifications for the requisitioning, procurement and the deployment of equipment, software resources and other IT systems in the Organization.
Oversees installations, configurations, test running and monitoring of IT infrastructure, network, and related systems.
Collaborates with relevant stakeholders and ensures the provision of database management interface requirements of the ORC systems architecture.
Ensures confidentiality, integrity, availability and accessibility of the IT systems and data of the ORC.
Ensures the day-to-day functionality of ORC’s IT infrastructure, networks and related assets.
Maintains the hardware, software, data storage and networks that constitute the ORC’s IT infrastructure.
Ensures continuous input, storage, processing, output and feedback of information for decision making, operational management, customer interaction, internal and external collaboration, strategic initiatives, and corporate productivity.
Provides inputs for the formulation of policies and strategies relating to MIS functions of the organization.
Establishes and operates a robust and sustainable corporate information management system that addresses organizational and stakeholder information needs.
Leads the management and maintenance of the ORCs Website, mailing and other application systems for effective online services.
Assesses IT training needs of staff of the ORC and leads the development and delivery of targeted capacity enhancement modules.
Provides strategic inputs for the formulation and implementation of IT policy and strategies.
Provides a single point of contact between ORC and its customers, staff and other stakeholders, assisting them with prompt problem resolution or service request management services.
Diagnoses and resolves issues and needs related to ORC’s IT architecture, systems and operations.
Creates and manages organizational knowledge, lessons and best practices and provides metrics for IT effectiveness.
Collaborates with the other Directorates to advise management on strategic systems upgrade and integration to enhance effective and efficient registration and other information management services of the ORC.
This server is responsible for electronic and digital document classification, registration and reference. It stores and secures operations records digitally for reference purposes and electronic record keeping and digital security. It is managed by IT architecture and information systems however, Records Unit is the custodian.

The Zonal Offices are decentralized/sub-national level structures of the ORC performing functions delegated to them by the ORC and reporting to the Registrar of Companies through the Deputy Registrar of Companies in charge of Operational Services. They:

Are responsible for the planning, coordination, and organization of registration, public education, monitoring and evaluation, as well as related services in their areas of jurisdiction.
Provide inputs into policy guidelines and standards for registration processes.
Ensure visibility as well as sensitization, education, research and communication in support of the ORC in the regions.
Perform any other functions that the Board on the advice of the Registrar of Companies may direct.