Understanding the concept of beneficial ownership disclosure

"Beneficial ownership (BO) has become one of the major concerns of the extractives industry. What was once considered an intriguing academic concept is now regarded a major decision driver in tax planning...The concept of beneficial ownership identifies persons who have significant influence and control over a company and are the foremost recipients of company benefits...On a good note, global interest in ownership transparency is growing: the G8 is adopting principles on beneficial ownership; the United States, United Kingdom and European Union are taking steps towards making more beneficial ownership information available, and eleven Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) countries have participated in a beneficial ownership pilot...Ghana joined the league of countries promoting BO in 2016, when it passed the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2016 (Act 920) to provide for the inclusion of the names and particulars of beneficial owners of companies and to establish a Central Register."--Pages 5-6

"This manual is prepared to serve as a guide to help government, citizens, industry players, private enterprises and all other relevant stakeholders grasp the concept of beneficial ownership in Ghana's extractive sector."--Page 7