Digitalisation Of DVLA

Sunday 19th July 2020

For Immediate Release

THE NPP GOVERNMENT HAS DIGITIZED AND TRANSFORMED THE OPERATIONS OF THE DRIVER AND VEHICLE LICENSING AUTHORITY

As a government institution that offers services to the driving public, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, commonly known as DVLA, is an institution under the Transport Ministry.

Its core mandate has been broadly categorized into two:

*Promotion of good driving standards and Issuing of driver’s license to drivers
*Inspection and registration of vehicles.

The Deputy Chief Executive of the institution, Mr. Prince Opoku Edusei, in an interview with the NPP Loyal Ladies, opined that, based on the institution’s data, there were over 1.8million certified drivers in the country.

OPERATIONS
Since 2017, the Authority has gradually implemented a digital system to transform its operations from the former paper, a manual-based system which made the processing of applications long, and tedious for both applicants and workers at the Authority.
Mr. Edusei mentioned that due to the implementation of the digital system, there had been a great reduction in the operations of middlemen, popularly known as “goro boys”.

DVLA’s PRESTIGE & PREMIUM CENTERS
Mr. Prince Opoku Edusei said that the prestige center was aimed at serving persons who opted for prompt and convenient service from Authority, at a little extra cost.

He also made mention of the fact that over 19 Private inspection centers have been added to the number since the new administration took office in 2017. These are serving as alternative service points for the general public thereby greatly reducing congestion at the main DVLA premises.

MEASURES IN PLACE FOR MIDDLEMEN & UNEDUCATED DRIVERS

Mr. Edusei acknowledged the fact that most uneducated applicants, especially, fell prey to the schemes of middlemen also known as “goro boys” who at most times duped them or charged huge fees for the same services that would have cost less.
This was as a result of the applicants wanting to avoid certain processes in the system such as the driving tests. He added that a more friendly approach was going to be adopted such that the test would be translated into six different local Languages which are Twi, Ewe, Ga, Nzema, Hausa, and Dagbani in order to enable all Ghanaians with different mother tongues to come directly to the Authority to access its services.

THE NEW DRIVER’S LICENCE, FAKE NUMBER PLATES & ROADWORTHY STICKERS

Mr. Edusei also touched on the new driver’s license card adding that, its complexity made it hard to be duplicated.
When asked on the fake number plates, and roadworthy certificates circulating on our roads, he said that it was an offense to display fake number plates and urged all drivers to ensure they got their cars registered through the right channels.
He further stated that measures were being put in place to discourage the use of fake road worthy and number plates on our roads.

DRIVING SCHOOLS
The DVLA works with accredited Driving schools in the country under strict inspection.
They offer training for driving instructors in the country, to keep them updated on current trends, so the instructors are able to pass such knowledge onto their respective students.

THE WAY FORWARD
Like all human institutions, Mr. Opoku Edusei stated that they had a number of challenges that continue to hinder their progress, adding that, they would not be deterred by such negativities as they were working hard to ensure the safety of road users, as their slogan states.

Mr. Opoku Edusei took the opportunity to thank his Boss, Mr. Kwasi Agyeman Busia for his impeccable leadership, and also the general public for continually having faith in their operations.

He finally added the need for Ghanaians to give the New Patriotic Party government under the able leadership of HE. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo another four-year mandate, to achieve more successes for the country.

Signed
LL PR