The Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, has strongly criticised a court injunction filed by members of the Vehicle Embossment Association of Ghana (VEMAG) seeking to stop the rollout of a new digital vehicle number plate registration system.
The injunction is aimed at halting the implementation of the system, which was scheduled to commence in January 2026.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, December 24, Mr Kotey said he was taken aback by the legal action, especially since the company awarded the contract has expressed readiness to work with all stakeholders, including existing embossment companies.
He questioned why firms that lost the contract had resorted to the courts, while the successful bidder was open to collaboration. Mr Kotey maintained that the DVLA followed all due procurement processes in awarding the contract and said the Authority is prepared to defend its actions in court.
His remarks follow an injunction application filed at the High Court in Accra by BEMENCO Embossment Ltd and 26 other VEMAG members. The applicants are seeking to restrain the DVLA from introducing digitalised vehicle number plates or implementing any new vehicle registration system from January 2026.
The plaintiffs argue that awarding both the manufacturing and embossment of number plates to a single company departs from established practice and breaches existing contractual arrangements with licensed embossers.
The proposed digital system is intended to replace the current decentralised embossment framework with a fully digitalised process aimed at improving efficiency, security, and traceability in vehicle registration.
Despite the court action, Mr Kotey stressed that the reforms are necessary and serve the public interest. He said the DVLA remains open to engagement but will not abandon efforts to modernise the vehicle registration system.
Meanwhile, the DVLA has announced the suspension of the planned rollout, which was initially set for January 2, 2026. The Authority clarified that the suspension is not a result of the injunction but rather due to the failure to secure amendments to the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180), which outlines the specifications for vehicle number plates.
In a statement, the DVLA explained that although Parliament amended the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), the required changes to L.I. 2180 were not passed before Parliament went on recess on Friday, December 19, 2025.
