The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has taken punitive action against several private vehicle testing stations (PVTS) across Ghana for prioritising the volume of vehicles processed over the quality of safety inspections, a practice that has allowed visibly unroadworthy vehicles onto the nation’s roads. The sanctions, announced by DVLA Chief Executive Officer Julius Neequaye Kotey at the Government Accountability Series held at Jubilee House on Monday, October 12, 2026, form part of a broader crackdown on systemic lapses in the vehicle roadworthiness certification regime.
“The phenomenon of rickety vehicles on our roads remains of critical concern to us,” Mr. Kotey stated. “The laws of DVLA have placed an enormous responsibility in the hands of private vehicle testing stations and have charged them to examine vehicles before issuing them with road-worthy stickers. Unfortunately, our monitoring exercises have revealed that some of these stations take delight in the numbers rather than the quality of inspection. We have taken some punitive actions against a couple of them”.
The sanctions follow a similar enforcement drive earlier in 2026, when the DVLA shut down six private vehicle testing stations within a three-month period for issuing roadworthiness certificates to vehicles that had never undergone the required inspections. “In the past two to three months, we have closed about six PVTS that did not inspect cars, yet they issued reports suggesting that the cars are roadworthy,” Mr. Kotey disclosed at the commissioning of new inspection centres in Buduburam, near Kasoa, in April 2026. He emphasised that the DVLA relies heavily on PVTS inspection reports when determining vehicle fitness, noting: “When you see rickety cars on the road, sometimes DVLA is being lampooned, but on this note I want to tell us that we should all keep an eye on every PVTS”.
Real-Time Monitoring System to Close Oversight Gaps
To strengthen supervision and eliminate the loopholes that have allowed unscrupulous operators to certify unfit vehicles, the DVLA is introducing a real-time monitoring system requiring private vehicle testing stations to transmit images and videos of every inspection. The system will enable the authority’s central monitoring room to observe inspection activities across the country and verify that the required checks have been carried out before roadworthiness stickers are issued.
Mr. Kotey first announced the video monitoring initiative in September 2026 at the commissioning of the DVLA’s Ultra Centre at Tema Port. “From next year, any Private Vehicle Testing Station that gives us the go-ahead to issue a roadworthy certificate to a vehicle will also be required to have a video system that allows DVLA to see the vehicle being inspected before the certificate is issued,” he said. The arrangement is designed to address longstanding concerns over visibly unroadworthy vehicles being granted certification and to provide irrefutable evidence that inspections have been conducted.
Regulatory Framework and the Rise of Private Testing Stations
Private Vehicle Testing Stations were introduced under the DVLA (Private Vehicle Testing Station) Regulation, 2012 (LI 2192) and the Road Traffic Regulation 2012 (LI 2180), which became operational in 2012. The policy was designed to decongest the DVLA’s own facilities by contracting private operators to handle vehicle inspection and testing. However, the growth of the PVTS sector has been accompanied by persistent concerns over inconsistent standards, inefficient practices, and a deficit of public trust. In May 2026, the Private Vehicle Test Stations Association was inaugurated in Kumasi, with its leadership pledging to champion reforms that promote transparency and eliminate loopholes. “Every certificate issued must be credible and every inspection conducted must be thorough,” said Association Chairman Robert Adomako. “This is how we build legitimacy, earn trust and influence policy”.
Upgrading Testing Infrastructure for Modern Vehicles
Beyond enforcement actions, the DVLA is engaging stakeholders on plans to upgrade testing stations to meet the demands of modern vehicles. The proposed improvements include better inspection equipment, advanced diagnostic technology, and updated testing procedures. Some private operators have already begun investing in this direction. VITO S-Class Services, one of the accredited testing companies, has deployed advanced German testing equipment, fully automated computer-based inspection lanes, and a Vehicle Inspection Management System (VIMS) that digitises the inspection process and minimises human interference by basing assessments on objective technical data.
A Nationwide Road Safety Crisis
The DVLA’s crackdown comes against the backdrop of a worsening road safety crisis in Ghana. Provisional data from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) revealed that 2,949 people lost their lives in 14,743 road traffic crashes across the country in 2025, representing a 9.3% increase from the previous year. Ghana’s fatality rate now stands at nearly 26 deaths per 100,000 people—well above both the WHO African regional average of 19 and the global average of 15.
Road safety experts point directly to the unchecked influx of poorly maintained, structurally compromised vehicles as a primary contributor to the mounting death toll. A visit to major transport hubs in Accra reveals hundreds of commercial buses—popularly known as “trotros”—operating with corroded body frames, exposed electrical wiring, and makeshift seating with sharp, protruding edges. In April 2026, the NRSA banned the popular Toyota Voxy from long-distance commercial travel after investigations revealed that informal left-hand drive conversions performed upon importation severely compromised critical steering and braking systems.
Broader DVLA Reforms and Fiscal Prudence
The sanctions against testing stations are part of a wider reform agenda that Mr. Kotey outlined at the Government Accountability Series. The DVLA is also advancing plans to introduce a demerit point system for drivers, under which licence holders would have points deducted for traffic offences. “Once the threshold is breached, the licence will be revoked and the holder taken through retraining and recertification before the licence would be released back to him or her,” Mr. Kotey explained. The authority also announced a forensic review of its roadworthiness service contract that revealed an annual commitment of $51.8 million between 2023 and 2025. Following aggressive renegotiations, the contract was restructured to a flat GH¢2 million for the entire 2026–2028 period, projecting annual savings of approximately $50 million.
Mr. Kotey further revealed that the DVLA’s surplus had jumped from GH¢5 million in 2024 to GH¢25 million in 2025, attributing the improvement to measures introduced to boost revenue mobilisation, reduce financial leakages, and strengthen accountability. The authority has also expanded its nationwide offices from 33 to 63 within 18 months and introduced driving tests in six local languages to reduce barriers to licensing.
The Road Ahead
The DVLA’s combination of punitive enforcement, technological oversight, and infrastructure investment signals a more aggressive posture toward ensuring that only genuinely roadworthy vehicles receive certification. However, the effectiveness of these measures will depend on sustained monitoring and the cooperation of private testing stations. As Mr. Kotey cautioned at the April commissioning event: “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that there is safety on our roads. We don’t know who will be the victim tomorrow”. For Ghana’s commuters—who navigate daily the consequences of regulatory failure—the stakes could not be higher.
