Registrar General issues guidelines for virtual AGMs

The Registrar General’s Department has issued modalities for companies to hold their Annual General Meetings using virtual platforms.

The Department says it has to be notified before such meetings are held.

“The Registrar-General should be notified before such a virtual meeting is held. The notification can be submitted to the Head Office in Accra or any of our Regional Offices in Kumasi, Sekondi Takoradi or Tamale,” portions of a statement signed by the Registrar General, Jemima Oware noted.

The Registrar General indicated that the directive for holding virtual AGMs is backed by the powers conferred on it by law.

“Pursuant to the power conferred by section 378(2) of the Companies Act 2019 (Act 992) on the Registrar of Companies, it is hereby directed that Companies may hold their Annual General Meetings (AGM) electronically.”

The statement also requires that companies spell out the electronic system to be used which should be fair to all members.

Again, the RGD has asked companies to admit that notice of the meeting should be sent to every member electronically in accordance with provisions of each company’s constitution.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant effects such as the Impositions of Restrictions Act 2020 (Act 1012) on public gatherings, most companies have issued circulars to their shareholders on the suspension of the planned AGMs for this year.

But the statement signed by the Registrar General, Jemima Oware, said companies may hold their AGMs using virtual platforms by complying with its published guidelines.