What is the ORC and what does it register?
The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) is the Ghanaian government body that registers companies and business names under the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992). It took over company registration from the former Registrar-General’s Department, so older documents may carry that name. For a buyer, the ORC’s register is the official record of each Ghanaian company: its existence, officers, owners and filings.
The ORC does not license mining or gold trading. Mineral rights are granted and recorded through the Minerals Commission, and since 2025 the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) oversees the buying, assaying and export of gold from small-scale mining. A Ghanaian gold seller should appear in all the places that apply to the trade it describes.
What does an ORC company record show?
| Field | What it tells the buyer |
|---|---|
| Company name and registration number | Whether the company in the contract is the one on the register |
| Date of incorporation | Whether its age fits the trading history it claims |
| Company type and status | Whether it is, for example, a private company limited by shares, and whether it is in good standing |
| Registered office and principal place of business | Where the company can be found |
| Directors and company secretary | Who manages the company, to compare with the people negotiating |
| Shareholders and shares held | Who owns the company on paper |
| Annual returns and filings | Whether the company keeps its record current |
Act 992 requires companies to disclose their beneficial owners — the individuals who ultimately own or control them — and the ORC keeps that information. What a third party can see of it, and how, is set by the ORC; check the registry’s current requirements.
How do you search for a company with the ORC?
- Ask the seller for its exact registered name, its registration number and its certificate of incorporation, and its Tax Identification Number from the Ghana Revenue Authority.
- Go to the ORC’s own website, reached independently, and use its online services to search for the company.
- Request a current record or search report of the company’s details. Online services usually need an account and a fee set by the ORC; check the registry’s current requirements.
- Date and keep the record, and compare it with the seller’s documents, the licence and the draft contract.
- Where the company is owned by other companies, search each of them in its own registry until individuals are reached.
How do you read an ORC record?
- Match the name and number exactly to the contract, the invoice and the licence.
- Check that the company is in good standing and its annual returns are filed.
- Compare the directors with the people negotiating. Anyone else needs a board resolution or power of attorney.
- Compare the incorporation date with the history the seller claims, and the registered office with the address on its licence.
- Note foreign shareholders: under Ghana’s mining law, small-scale mining licences are reserved for Ghanaian citizens, so a foreign-owned company offering “its own” small-scale gold needs explaining.
What does an ORC record not prove?
| Not proved by the ORC | Where it is checked |
|---|---|
| A mineral right — a prospecting licence, mining lease or small-scale mining licence | The Minerals Commission |
| A licence to buy or export gold | GoldBod, for gold from small-scale mining |
| Ownership of the gold on offer | The vault, refinery or GoldBod facility holding it, contacted directly |
| That the gold exists and matches the fineness | Inspection and testing where the gold is held |
| That the company can deliver | Licences, export records and a site visit together |
| That its owners are clean | Sanctions, politically-exposed-person and adverse-media screening |
How do you match the company to its Minerals Commission licence?
The Minerals Commission regulates mineral rights in Ghana under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and keeps the register of mineral rights. The rights include reconnaissance and prospecting licences, mining leases and small-scale mining licences. Each names a holder, a mineral, an area, and a start and expiry date.
Take the licence number from the seller and confirm with the Commission the holder, the type, the mineral, the area and the validity. Then compare the holder with the ORC record. The holder must be the selling company, or a company it can show it controls. A prospecting licence offered as a source of production, a licence in a different district from the claimed mine, or an expired licence are each findings. Requirements change; check the registry’s current requirements with the Commission.
How does GoldBod fit in for gold exports?
The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) was established by law in 2025 to regulate and manage the gold trade from small-scale mining. It buys, assays and exports such gold, and it licenses the buyers and aggregators that operate in the trade. A seller offering small-scale Ghanaian gold for export should therefore explain how the sale fits within GoldBod’s arrangements and show its own GoldBod licence where one is required.
Gold from large-scale mines is exported under the mining company’s own arrangements, subject to the rules that apply to it. In either case, a buyer should ask for the export records of past shipments and confirm them with the issuing body. The rules for gold buying and export have changed recently and may change again; check GoldBod’s current requirements.
Which red flags appear when the record is checked?
- The company on the licence, the ORC record and the contract are not the same.
- A foreign-owned company claims to hold a small-scale mining licence.
- The seller offers small-scale gold for export but cannot explain its standing with GoldBod.
- Documents still refer to the Registrar-General’s Department for a company said to be recently formed.
- The people negotiating are not directors and hold no resolution or power of attorney.
- The seller asks for fees for “export clearance” before any inspection of the gold.
Where can an ORC and licence check be done for you?
Nairank Global checks Ghanaian suppliers with the ORC, the Minerals Commission and, for gold, GoldBod, confirms documents with their issuers, and tests the gold in Accra and at source. See supplier due diligence in Ghana, or start with supplier due diligence. Buying gold? Read verified gold suppliers in Africa.