Business registration in Ghana runs through the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC), under the Companies Act 2019 (Act 992) and the Registration of Business Names Act 1962.

It is quicker and cheaper than most people expect. The annual obligations that follow are what catch people out.

Which structure

Sole proprietorship (business name)

You, trading under a name that is not your own. Registered under the Registration of Business Names Act.

  • Cheap — around ₵60
  • Fast — often same week
  • No separate legal personality. The business is you. Its debts are your debts, and your personal assets are exposed.
  • Renewed every 1 year

Right for most freelancers and small traders starting out.

Company limited by shares

A separate legal person, under the Companies Act 2019.

  • Around ₵330 in ORC fees, plus stamp duty at 1% of stated capital
  • Limited liability. Your exposure is limited to your shareholding.
  • Required by many corporate and government clients
  • More filing. Annual returns, audited accounts, statutory registers.

Others

Company limited by guarantee — for NGOs, churches, associations and anything not distributing profit.

Partnership — two or more people, under the Incorporated Private Partnerships Act 1962.

External company — a branch of a foreign company registered in Ghana.

What you need

  • A name. Check availability first; the ORC does a name search and will reject conflicts.
  • Ghana Card for every proprietor, director and shareholder. This is also the TIN.
  • GhanaPostGPS digital address for the registered office.
  • The nature of the business, described using the ORC’s activity classifications.
  • For a company: at least two directors, one of whom must ordinarily be resident in Ghana; a company secretary meeting the Act’s qualification requirements; stated capital.

The process

  1. Name search at the ORC, online or in person.
  2. Complete the forms. Form A for a business name; the incorporation forms for a company.
  3. Pay the fees, including stamp duty on stated capital for a company.
  4. Submit, with the Ghana Card details of everyone involved.
  5. Collect your certificate of registration or incorporation, and for a company, the certificate to commence business.

Registration runs through the ORC’s online portal as well as its offices.

After registration

This is where people fall down.

Tax

Your company is now a taxpayer. Register with the GRA and file:

  • Corporate income tax at 25%
  • PAYE monthly, if you have employees
  • VAT monthly, once turnover exceeds ₵200,000
  • Withholding tax you deduct from your own suppliers

You will need a tax clearance certificate to bid for contracts, renew permits, or do almost anything official. It requires being up to date.

SSNIT

If you have employees, register as an employer and remit 18.5% of each employee’s basic salary — 5.5 points deducted from them and 13 from you.

SSNIT and pensions

Annual returns

A company must file its first annual return within 18 months of incorporation, and annually thereafter.

A business name must be renewed every 1 year.

Penalties accumulate quietly, and you discover them when you need a clearance certificate urgently. Diary both dates.

Local authority

Register with the district assembly for your area — the Accra Metropolitan Assembly or whichever covers your location — and pay the business operating permit. This is separate from ORC registration and separate from tax, and it is the one most new businesses forget.

Some activities need sector regulators as well: the FDA for food, drugs and cosmetics; the Ghana Tourism Authority for hospitality; the Bank of Ghana for financial services.

If you are not Ghanaian

Foreign ownership triggers the GIPC minimum capital thresholds:

Structure Minimum foreign equity
Joint venture with a Ghanaian holding at least 10% $200,000
Wholly foreign-owned $500,000
Trading $1,000,000, plus 20 skilled Ghanaian employees

Certain activities are reserved for Ghanaian citizens entirely, including petty trading, market trading, and small-scale taxi and car hire operations.

Work permits and GIPC quotas

Getting help

The ORC publishes guidance, and its offices will answer procedural questions.

For a limited company with real stakes — foreign shareholders, outside investment, more than one founder — use a lawyer. Fixing a badly drafted shareholders’ agreement later costs many times what drafting it properly costs now.