The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has suspended the rollout of its new digital vehicle number plate registration system following a court injunction and delays in securing necessary legal amendments.

The injunction was filed by BEMENCO Embossment Ltd and 26 other members of the Vehicle Embossment Association of Ghana (VEMAG) at the High Court in Accra, seeking to halt the implementation scheduled for January 2026.

DVLA CEO, Julius Neequaye Kotey, expressed surprise at the legal action during a press conference on Wednesday, December 24. He noted the company awarded the contract had offered collaboration with 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,” Mr. Kotey stated.

He affirmed the DVLA followed due process in the contract award and is prepared to defend its decision 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.

VEMAG members argue the DVLA’s decision to consolidate the manufacture and embossment of number plates with a single company deviates from established practice and breaches existing contracts with licensed embossers.

The new system aims to replace the current decentralised process with a fully digitalised one, promising improved efficiency, security, and traceability in vehicle registration.

Despite the legal challenge, Mr. Kotey maintains the reforms are crucial and serve the public interest. He emphasized the DVLA’s openness to dialogue but reiterated its commitment to modernizing the vehicle registration regime.

While the court action was filed this Monday, the DVLA explained the rollout suspension is primarily due to the failure to secure amendments to the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180) before Parliament’s recess on Friday, December 19, 2025. Parliament successfully amended the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), but the necessary changes to L.I. 2180 were not completed.

The initial rollout date was January 2, 2026, and the matter is now awaiting determination by the courts.

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