However, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has said it will abolish displaying the year of registration on vehicle number plates from January 1, 2026.

The new system, according to the Chief Executive of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, will instead only identify vehicles by the region in which they were registered. He said the region [Greater Accra] will be written on top of the plate, followed by the vehicle’s unique four-digit number and a code showing the zone within which the vehicle was registered.

Also, a vehicle registered within the Adenta zone in Greater Accra will have “AD” code at the end of the four-digit unique number, replacing where the year of registration, for example, “25” would have been displayed.

Mr Kotey disclosed this during an interview with Citi TV on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, and monitored by Graphic Online.

He said the change will introduce regional names at the top of plates, followed by area codes showing which DVLA office processed the registration.

According to Mr Kotey, Ghana is the only country in the world that displays the year of registration on vehicle plates.

“There is no country in the world that puts year at the end [of the plate],” he said.

“When you go to the US, the UK or Germany, there is no single country that does this,” he said.

Under the new system, a Greater Accra plate would display “Greater Accra” at the top, with “GR 2224-AD” below, where GR represents Greater Accra Region and AD shows the Adenta office. An Ashanti Region plate would bear “Ashanti” on top and follow the format “AS 3520-KM”, with AS for Ashanti and KM representing Kumasi.

“Every region will have the name on top of it,” Mr Kotey explained. “So Greater Accra, the region code of Greater can be GR. After that, where the year of registration used to be, will now be the area code.”

When asked if the reform would make it easier to trace vehicles involved in crimes, Mr Kotey said specific plate identification was more effective than year-based descriptions.

“If you tell me someone has done a hit and run and the car is 2025 registered, there are a lot of 2025 cars in the system. How will I know the car? If you give the exact number, it is easier for DVLA to identify the person.”

Mr Kotey said the change is also aimed at curbing registration avoidance, which he said has resulted in many people opting to use the “DV” plates for private use and driving in town.

“Because of the year, some people are unwilling to register their cars,” he said.

According to him, this is to help prevent and limit the use of “DV” [Defective Vehicle] plates in the system, which ordinarily is supposed to be used by car dealers for specific reasons, when they only need to move the vehicle to a specific location for repairs or for a test drive for a potential buyer.

However, he said many private individuals are reluctant to register their vehicles and have been resorting to the use of DV plates all year round.

The implementation of the new proposal requires parliamentary approval to amend Legislative Instrument 68, which governs the Road Traffic Regulation.

“We’ve done all the legal work. We need to amend LI 68, the road traffic regulation, and parliament is ready to approve it for implementation from January 2026,” Mr Kotey said.

He also advised vehicle owners not to delay registering their vehicles, expecting year-specific plates.

“If you want to buy a car this year and leave it till [registration in 2026] so that you have 26 written on it in January, forget it, you won’t get it. Whether your car is 2022 registered or 2001 registered, we will all have the same format.”

The change forms part of new DVLA initiatives under Mr Kotey’s leadership.

He, however, did not give details on how this will help prevent or resolve a possible conflict of duplicate number plates appearing on vehicles registered in different years from the same region and zone.

Except that, he stressed that the new move was to discourage people from refraining from registering their vehicles because sometimes they are looking at resale value, depending on the year of registration.

A vehicle with a latest year of registration plate in Ghana tends to have a higher resale value than those with older years.

But for such vehicle owners, Mr Kotey said the DVLA was going to introduce an option where they can purchase “DV” plates for use within a year but it will be offered at an expensive price different from what is offered to vehicle dealers.

History of number plates in Ghana

Before 2009, Ghana used different license plates that included a two-letter code indicating the region and a single letter at the end to denote the year of registration.

It was in 1994 that the single letter code and a numeric code was used, before phasing it out in 2009 when the single alphabet code got to “Z”.

For example, GR for Greater Accra and P as the year of registration 1998, Q for 1999, R for 2000, S for 2001, T for 2002, U for 2003, V for 2004, W for 2005, X for 2006, Y for 2007 and Z for 2008.

When the decision was taken in 1994 to change the plates, all vehicles in the system were re-registered within three years from 1994 to 1997, from “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” to “N” in 1997. Then the “P” started from 1998 and “Q” in 1999.

Below is the regional codes that are already in the system and are being used.

Below are the codes for the various regions in Ghana;

AC, AE, AK, AP, AS, AW = Ashanti Region

BA, BR, BW = Bono Region

BT = Bono East Region

CR = Central Region

EN, ER, ES = Eastern Region

GB, GC, GE, GG, GH, GL, GM, GN, GT, GS, GW, GX, GY = Greater Accra Region

NR = Northern Region

UE = Upper East Region

UW = Upper West Region

VA, VD, VR = Volta Region

Ghanaian cultural tours

WR, WT = Western Region

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, June 19, Mr. Kotey said the initiative is part of broader efforts to modernise DVLA operations and crack down on vehicles that enter the country illegally or evade duties using fake or cloned number plates.

“We are changing the entire number plate system. We want to introduce a plastic plate embedded with a chip. This is part of our plan to eliminate what we often call the ‘Togo cars,’” he said.

According to Mr. Kotey, the chip-enabled plates will allow security agencies to access real-time data on vehicles, aiding in crime prevention and enforcement.

“When someone commits an offence and tries to flee, the police or compliance officers can simply use a scanner or reader on the number plate and retrieve all the vehicle information instantly,” he explained.

He also hinted at the possibility of integrating the new plate system with road toll collection mechanisms, replacing manual toll booths.

“It is highly likely that DVLA will no longer collect road tolls in the traditional way. We’re exploring options where the number plate communicates with the toll system automatically,” Mr. Kotey said.

He disclosed that a committee made up of officials from the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Roads is reviewing various tolling models, including automatic deductions via mobile money and integrating toll payments with the roadworthiness certification process.

“Some suggest we adopt the Dubai model, where toll charges are automatically deducted when you drive past checkpoints. Others propose adding toll payments to the roadworthy renewal process,” he added.

However, Mr. Kotey cautioned that any future system must address the growing prevalence of fake roadworthy certificates and number plates.

“Some cars on our roads use fake roadworthy stickers and cloned plates. There are also vehicles that bypass import duties under ECOWAS protocols and then swap their number plates locally,” he said.

He revealed that the DVLA has identified up to 25 illegal methods by which vehicles are smuggled into Ghana and registered through fraudulent means. In some cases, number plates are even copied from accident-damaged vehicles at police stations.

Calling for public support, Mr. Kotey emphasised the need for a united national effort to improve vehicle registration systems and road safety enforcement.

“All I ask is that Ghanaians support and pray for President Mahama because we will surely overcome these issues together,” he concluded.

In a statement, police cited abuse of the special plates, locally referred to as Spy, to disregard traffic rules.

It’s unclear how many such plates are currently in use countrywide but they have all been revoked indefinitely.

Holders are to revert to their vehicles’ original number plate, the statement by police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi said.

Police officers attached to senior government officials who use Spy number plates have also been ordered “to ensure prompt compliance with this directive or risk being arrested for violation of the order.

“This order is necessary to forestall the continuous disregard for traffic rules and regulations and other extant laws guiding road use by individuals hiding under,” the police statement said.

There were no penalties specified for defaulters of the ban but police have been ordered to confiscate all special plates still in use