Registrar General’s online portal activated (Wednesday April 15, 2015) Pg 69

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has launched its online registration portal to make business registration services less cumbersome.

Developed by the GCNet and funded by the World Bank, the portal will enable clients to transact business online with respect to business/company registration, marriage registration, estate administration, e-payments, online booking of marriage and chats and scheduling of appointments with officers of the department. 

The portal is also integrated with the Ghana Revenue Authority e-tax portal and both make use of the Tax Identification Number (TIN) to identify portal users. 

It  is expected to cut down the weeks of frustration and  anxiety that clients of the RGD had to go through in transacting  business  with the department, as the processing of applications are expected to be completed in 48 hours if the clients meet all requirements.

The portal — a public private partnership is also supported by the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) and the Ministry of Finance. 

It forms part of the country’s e-government project that promotes the public sector’s use of information and communications technology (ICT) with the aim of improving information and service delivery, encouraging citizen participation in the decision-making process and making government more accountable, transparent and effective.

Effective business registration

The Minister of Communication, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, who launched the portal, said it was an effective way of conducting business with the RGD.

He said it was a statement of commitment to provide trust and confidence in doing business with the RGD which had benefits, including saving cost, promoting efficient use of time and convenience. 

He said 21 community information centres were being established in some districts across the country to make it possible for people in rural and peri-urban areas to also access the portal. 

The Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, observed that the online procedure would introduce transparency and accountability in the operations of the department. 

“This would fast track business registration in Ghana and cut down the delays that characterise business registration,” he said. 

In addition, the department has opened fully automated offices in Kumasi and Takoradi and will open another in Tamale to decentralise the process of business registration to save time and resources for the many business operators and prospective entrepreneurs who throng the department for service.

The Deputy Registrar General, Ms Jemima Oware, said the new system would eliminate the activities of middlemen who contributed to the cost of doing business. 

“The e-registrar has made business registration accessible to all businesses irrespective of their location,” he said. 

The Executive Chairman of GCNet, Dr Nortey K. Omaboe, said the launch of the portal was a new dawn and called on the public and officials of the RGD to let go of the old ways and embrace the new system. 

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has launched its online registration portal to make business registration services less cumbersome.

Developed by the GCNet and funded by the World Bank, the portal will enable clients to transact business online with respect to business/company registration, marriage registration, estate administration, e-payments, online booking of marriage and chats and scheduling of appointments with officers of the department.
The portal is also integrated with the Ghana Revenue Authority e-tax portal and both make use of the Tax Identification Number (TIN) to identify portal users.
It  is expected to cut down the weeks of frustration and  anxiety that clients of the RGD had to go through in transacting  business  with the department, as the processing of applications are expected to be completed in 48 hours if the clients meet all requirements.
The portal — a public private partnership is also supported by the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) and the Ministry of Finance.
It forms part of the country’s e-government project that promotes the public sector’s use of information and communications technology (ICT) with the aim of improving information and service delivery, encouraging citizen participation in the decision-making process and making government more accountable, transparent and effective.

Effective business registration

The Minister of Communication, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, who launched the portal, said it was an effective way of conducting business with the RGD.
He said it was a statement of commitment to provide trust and confidence in doing business with the RGD which had benefits, including saving cost, promoting efficient use of time and convenience.
He said 21 community information centres were being established in some districts across the country to make it possible for people in rural and peri-urban areas to also access the portal.
The Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, observed that the online procedure would introduce transparency and accountability in the operations of the department.
“This would fast track business registration in Ghana and cut down the delays that characterise business registration,” he said.
In addition, the department has opened fully automated offices in Kumasi and Takoradi and will open another in Tamale to decentralise the process of business registration to save time and resources for the many business operators and prospective entrepreneurs who throng the department for service.
The Deputy Registrar General, Ms Jemima Oware, said the new system would eliminate the activities of middlemen who contributed to the cost of doing business.
“The e-registrar has made business registration accessible to all businesses irrespective of their location,” he said.
The Executive Chairman of GCNet, Dr Nortey K. Omaboe, said the launch of the portal was a new dawn and called on the public and officials of the RGD to let go of the old ways and embrace the new system. 

- See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/41667-registrar-general-s-online-portal-activated.html#sthash.ntScTPkA.dpuf

A Supreme Court judge, Mr Justice William Atuguba, has criticised the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) for becoming docile in pursuing the national interest because of deep-seated partisan interests within the association.

According to the judge, in sharp contrast to what the situation was some decades ago when the “GBA was more politically colourless”, to the extent that even under military regimes its sting was felt, today the association had become aligned to political parties. 

Mr Justice Atuguba said this at the 42nd Law Week celebration of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana yesterday. 

“They spoke with closed ranks and I didn’t see any division and had a united and courageous front and they succeeded. At a certain stage the GBA went to the point of saying they would not comment on national issues and that was very negative. But  now they are beginning to speak again,” he said.

The position of the GBA did not seem to please Mr Justice Atuguba, known more for his bluntness than his diplomacy.

“Look at the horizon of their expression on important national issues and see whether there has been uniformity or consistency,” he told the Law students.

He said the perception was what he gleaned from the media — a perception that he said was a general concern that traversed the media space.  

A-G’s Department and the Judiciary 

Mr Justice Atuguba, who was the President of the panel of judges during the 2012 presidential election petition, also took a swipe at the Attorney-General’s (A-G’s) Department and condemned the perceived rot within the Judiciary.

With the A-G’s Department coming under scrutiny and condemnation for the millions of Ghana cedis in the form of judgement debts that come out of the courts, he said the department had been napping on the job.

He observed that while in the past the A-G’s Department did not spare even ministers of state caught in the web of corruption, it was not the case today.

“The situation with the Judiciary is not too different; there is a deep-seated perception of corruption and even political partisanship,” he said.

While acknowledging that there had been quality justice delivery, particularly in the superior courts, he said a lot more needed to be done. 

“The Judiciary has a big role to play and had done so tremendously in the recent past. But there has been substantial decline in its output in recent times.  While things seem to be picking up, much has to be done by all actors to reclaim past vigour, standards and public approbation,” he said. 

A Supreme Court judge, Mr Justice William Atuguba, has criticised the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) for becoming docile in pursuing the national interest because of deep-seated partisan interests within the association.

According to the judge, in sharp contrast to what the situation was some decades ago when the “GBA was more politically colourless”, to the extent that even under military regimes its sting was felt, today the association had become aligned to political parties. 

Mr Justice Atuguba said this at the 42nd Law Week celebration of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana yesterday. 

“They spoke with closed ranks and I didn’t see any division and had a united and courageous front and they succeeded. At a certain stage the GBA went to the point of saying they would not comment on national issues and that was very negative. But  now they are beginning to speak again,” he said.

The position of the GBA did not seem to please Mr Justice Atuguba, known more for his bluntness than his diplomacy.

“Look at the horizon of their expression on important national issues and see whether there has been uniformity or consistency,” he told the Law students.

He said the perception was what he gleaned from the media — a perception that he said was a general concern that traversed the media space.  

A-G’s Department and the Judiciary 

Mr Justice Atuguba, who was the President of the panel of judges during the 2012 presidential election petition, also took a swipe at the Attorney-General’s (A-G’s) Department and condemned the perceived rot within the Judiciary.

With the A-G’s Department coming under scrutiny and condemnation for the millions of Ghana cedis in the form of judgement debts that come out of the courts, he said the department had been napping on the job.

He observed that while in the past the A-G’s Department did not spare even ministers of state caught in the web of corruption, it was not the case today.

“The situation with the Judiciary is not too different; there is a deep-seated perception of corruption and even political partisanship,” he said.

While acknowledging that there had been quality justice delivery, particularly in the superior courts, he said a lot more needed to be done. 

“The Judiciary has a big role to play and had done so tremendously in the recent past. But there has been substantial decline in its output in recent times.  While things seem to be picking up, much has to be done by all actors to reclaim past vigour, standards and public approbation,” he said.