Deputy Finance Minister, John Kumah has disclosed that government is working on a coded and unified application process for all prospective entrepreneurs who need access to legal documentation.

According to him, this centralised system would rid prospective entrepreneurs of the frustration of moving from one office to the other in acquiring the requisite legal documentation.

"If you have been a contractor in Ghana before and bid for projects, one of your frustrations is how to assemble all the documents required. You need to go to about five to almost 10 offices just to bid on one contract.

"You need to register with the registrar general. Then, you need to register; if it is a road, you need a road certificate. If it is housing, you need Works and Housing Certificate. Finally, you need to register with PPA.

"You need to go to GRA to get your tax clearance. You have to go to Labour Office to get your labour certificate. You have to get all kinds of things. SSNIT certificate," he told hosts of Joy FM's Super Morning Show.

Having worked in the private sector, the Deputy Finance Minister said that he empathises with the plights of all entrepreneurs.

He assured all entrepreneurs that government is working on reforming some of the requirements in the registration of businesses.

"And I believe as part of the digitalisation and Ghana Card promotion, it is now going to be easy to centralise or get one office where people can go if it is a food product or a drug or health thing you are doing that requires Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and Standards Authority, you should be able to go to just one office make a payment and then depending on your sector of business, all these certificates come together as one request".

This digitalisation process, he said, would not only cut down on the struggles of businesses in acquiring certificates but would also shield them from infringing on the law due to lack of knowledge on the requisite documents they need to have to operate their business.

"Sometimes, depending on if you're in the fintech, you have maybe gone to register with registrar general. You've gone through maybe BoG requirement. You are there, and SEC would write to you that you are not supposed to go through this area; you're infringing on the law. And so many many startups become frustrated".

Without giving specific timelines on when this would be implemented, Mr Kumah said, "Over time, we are going to improve on how all these certificates can be sourced from one centre, depending on your sector.

"If you're going into mining, after your registrar general and all that, you're supposed to go through minerals commission, EPA, you're supposed to go through PMMC. So many many requirements and the startup may not even know, and sometimes in the process he gets arrested".