The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, has reacted sharply to a court injunction filed by members of the Vehicle Embossment Association of Ghana (VEMAG) against the planned rollout of a new digital vehicle number plate registration system.
The injunction seeks to stop the implementation of the new system, which was scheduled to begin in January 2026.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Kotey said he was taken aback by the legal action, especially given the readiness of the company awarded the contract to work with all industry players, including existing embossment firms.
“The one who won the contract is saying that he is willing to welcome the people coming to the IFRD, and those who never won the contract have rather gone to court. So I just can’t fathom what is going on,” he said.
Mr Kotey stressed that the DVLA followed due process in awarding the contract and indicated that the Authority is fully prepared to defend its actions in court.
“The one who won has opened his arms, and those who never won it have rather gone to court. We will meet them in court,” he added.
The injunction application, filed at the High Court in Accra by BEMENCO Embossment Ltd and 26 other members of VEMAG, seeks to restrain the DVLA from introducing digitalised vehicle number plates or implementing any new vehicle registration system from January 2026.
According to the applicants, the DVLA’s decision to award both the manufacture and embossment of number plates to a single company departs from established practice and breaches existing contractual arrangements with licensed embossers.
The proposed system is expected to replace the current decentralised embossment framework with a fully digitalised process aimed at improving efficiency, security, and traceability in vehicle registration.
Despite the legal challenge, Mr Kotey maintained that the reforms are necessary and serve the public interest, noting that the Authority remains committed to modernising the vehicle registration regime.
Meanwhile, the DVLA has announced the suspension of the planned rollout, which was originally slated for January 2, 2026.
However, the Authority clarified that the suspension is not a result of the injunction filed earlier this week, but rather due to outstanding legislative requirements. In a statement, the DVLA explained that although Parliament amended the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), the necessary amendments to the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180)—which governs the format and content of vehicle number plates—were not passed before Parliament went on recess on Friday, December 19, 2025.
The matter is now before the courts and is expected to be determined in due course.
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