VEMAG petitions Transport Ministry over DVLA’s 2026 digital number plate rollout

The long-running partnership between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Vehicle Embossment Association of Ghana (VEMAG) has come under severe strain following the Authority’s announcement that Ghana will transition to new digitalised vehicle number plates beginning January 2026.

A move intended to modernise the country’s vehicle identification system has instead ignited controversy, uncertainty, and public concern, as VEMAG accuses the DVLA of sidelining a key national stakeholder in the planning process.

VEMAG, established during the British colonial era and recognised as the sole organisation responsible for embossing all vehicle number plates in Ghana for decades, says the DVLA failed to engage them ahead of the proposed transition.

Historically, VEMAG has pre-financed the production of all number plates sold by the DVLA—shouldering the initial financial burden while consistently paying taxes and supporting over 3,000 workers across the country.

This longstanding arrangement, VEMAG argues, has not been respected in the DVLA’s new digitalisation agenda.

Concerns were heightened after the DVLA Chief Executive Officer publicly announced in April 2025 that the Authority intended to replace the current plates with digitalised ones by January 2026.

According to VEMAG, the implementation process has since stalled because the DVLA is unprepared, owing to what the Association describes as poor planning, inadequate stakeholder engagement, and a lack of transparency about the transition.

Ordinarily, VEMAG and the DVLA would have commenced embossing the required number plates by November in preparation for the upcoming year.

However, with just weeks remaining in 2025, VEMAG says no timetable, consultation, or operational directions have been provided—leaving both embosser shops and workers in limbo.

In a strongly worded petition addressed to the Ministry of Transport, VEMAG is calling for an immediate suspension of the digital number plate rollout for at least six months.

The Association believes that the additional time will allow for proper consultation, adequate planning, and a smoother transition that would avoid national embarrassment and disruption to vehicle registration services come January.

The Association also alleges that the DVLA CEO has already invited foreign companies and undertaken international trips in pursuit of the digitalisation agenda—steps VEMAG describes as unnecessary and financially wasteful, particularly because local embossers possess expertise that could have eliminated the need for foreign involvement.

The DVLA’s justification for excluding private embossers—claiming that no country allows private companies to emboss number plates—has also been challenged. VEMAG cites examples from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Nigeria, where private companies legally emboss number plates.

They argue further that the own Road Traffic Act explicitly mandates the DVLA to engage private businesses for embossment.

Beyond the policy disagreements, VEMAG is demanding an urgent investigation into claims made by the DVLA CEO on national television alleging that three individuals within the embossing sector control 154 companies, which he described as a “DVLA Mafia.”

VEMAG maintains that no more than 50 officially recognized embossing companies operate under the DVLA nationwide, making the CEO’s allegation shocking and deeply troubling.

The Association wants the Ministry of Transport to probe the claim and expunge any illegally operating entities, should they indeed exist.

While acknowledging the importance of technological advancement in the transport and administrative systems, VEMAG insists it is ready and willing to upgrade its processes and workforce capabilities—with proper support from the DVLA and Ministry of Transport.

The Association believes that excluding local embossers in favour of foreign companies risks collapsing an entire sector and rendering thousands jobless.