65 professional bodies including GBA, GJA, to be removed from Companies Register

The Registrar of Companies (ORC) has announced plans to remove 65 professional bodies, including the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Ghana Bar Association, from its companies register.

Other bodies facing removal include the Ghana Institute of Planners, Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, The Ghana Institute of Architects, Ghana Medical Association, Geological Society of Ghana, Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana, Insurance Institute of Ghana, and Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, among others.

This action is due to their failure to submit annual accounts and update their certificates of membership in accordance with Section 16 of the Professional Bodies Registration Act of 1973. The affected bodies have been given until June 30, 2024, to submit their annual returns.

The ORC has initiated legal proceedings to enforce compliance. “The exercise has become imperative due to the failure of these professional bodies to file their annual accounts and update their certificates of membership in accordance with Section 16 of the Professional Bodies Registration Act, 1973, NRCD 143 with the Registrar of Professional Bodies,” the ORC stated.

Following a meeting with the Executive Council Members of all registered professional bodies, the Registrar of Companies (ROC), who regulates professional bodies, directed those in default for more than two years to update their members’ certification by the end of December 2023.

Failure to comply will result in their names being struck off the Professional Bodies Register in accordance with Section 11(b) of the Professional Bodies Act 1973 (NRCD 143).

The filing must include a copy of the audited accounts, an updated list of members, and any changes to the body’s constitution. The removal of defaulters from the register will begin at the end of June 2024, in accordance with Sections 15 (1)(2) and 16(1)(2).