The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) has published a List of Registered Professional Bodies that includes 43 professional bodies in Ghana that are not in good standing, including the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB), and the Chartered Institute of Certified Tax Accountants and Auditors.
According to a press release from the ORC, forty professional bodies have been determined to be in good standing, whereas forty-three have not.
It also said that 73 professional bodies do not have contact numbers, and 11 professional bodies have recently registered, making it impossible for the ORC to get in touch with the executives and update the records.
“Four Professional Bodies have however requested to be taken off the Register for having gained a Chartered status by an Act of Parliament”.
Professional Bodies not in Good Standing as at July 31, 2024
1. GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF GHANA
2. GHANA REGISTERED NURSES AND MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION
3. THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF BANKERS (GHANA)
4. INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONERS
5. MINING METALLURGICAL AND PERTOLEUM SOCIETY
6. GHANA ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS
7. GHANA CHEMICAL SOCIETY
8. COMPUTING ASSOCIATION OF GHANA
9. ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH SERVICE ADMINISTRATORS (GHANA)
10. GHANA REGISTERED MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION
11. ASSOCIATION OF RATING VALUERS (GHANA)
12. GHANA SOCIETY OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION
13. GHANA HOME ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION
14. GHANA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
15. GHANA ASSOCIATION OF TRANSLATORS & INTERPRETORS
16. GHANA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
17. ASSOCIATION OF BUILDING TECHNICIANS
18. GHANA INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL FORESTERS
19. THE GHANA INSTITUTE OF TAXATION
20. GHANA INSTITUTE OF CONSTRUCTION
21. GHANA ASSOCIATION OF THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED AND SECRETARIES & ADMINISTRATORS
22. GHANA INSTITUTE OF HORTICULTURISTS
23. GHANA INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
24. DISPENSING TECHNOLOGISTS SOCIETY OF GHANA
25. INSTITUTE OF INTERNAL AUDITORS (GHANA)
26. GHANA OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION
27. GHANA ACADEMY OF CHRISTIAN COUNSELLORS
28. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTANTS, VALUERS & ANALYSTS
29. GHANA QUALITY NSTITUTE
30. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED TAX ACCOUNTANTS
31. ASSOCIATION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE
32. AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTORS ASSOCIATION OF GHANA
33. GHANA ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFIED CONSULTANTS
34. INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS GHANA
35. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED FORENSIC INVESTIGATION
36. PROFESSIONAL AGILE CERTIFICATION AFRICA
37. GHANA ACADEMY OF FORENSIC SCIENCES
38. GHANA COLLEGE OF SCIENTISTS
39. GLOBAL ACADEMY OF FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT
40. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED TAX ACCOUNTANTS AND AUDITORS
41. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE GHANA (CIA-GH)
42. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE & DEVELOPMENT
43. GHANA BAR ASSOCIATION
Background
All professional bodies in default were instructed by the Registrar of Companies to amend their Certificate of Membership and file their Annual Returns by June 30, 2024, in compliance with Section 16 of the Professional Bodies Registration Act, 1973, NRCD 143, in a public release issued in May 2024.
This came after a previous interaction with the ORC last year involving executives of Ghanaian professional bodies that were registered.
The majority of Professional Bodies, however, are still not in good standing and have not renewed the Certificate of their Members, which puts them at risk of having their names removed from the Register in accordance with section 11(b) of the NRCD 143. This was discovered during the deadline for validation of the Register.
What is next for these Professional Bodies?
In the official notice, the Registrar of Companies asked professional bodies that were not in good standing to take the required actions in order to be in good standing by December 30, 2024. A copy of the Body’s audited financial statements, an updated membership roster, and any amendments to the organization’s charter should be included with the application.
Additionally, it served as a reminder to Professional Bodies that include the term “CHARTERED” in their names to include copies of the Charter that the Ghanaian Parliament awarded them when they filed their annual reports and updated their member certificates.
“All those who do not have the Charter granted by Parliament should take steps to have this done within the shortest possible time or in the alternative change their names” The Registrar of Companies added.
Nonetheless, Jemima Oware, the Registrar of Companies, pledged that the office will uphold its fundamental goals and principles to guarantee a respectable and professional business environment for all parties involved.
“The Office will continue its rigorous sensitization and engagement on the need for registered Professional Bodies and Businesses to be in good standing”.