DVLA to Replace All Vehicle Number Plates by 2028
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has announced that all vehicle number plates in Ghana will be replaced within two years, starting January 1, 2027. The move is part of a new digital vehicle identification system aimed at improving accountability and strengthening road safety enforcement.
At a media briefing in Accra, DVLA Chief Executive Officer Julius Neequaye Kotey said the nationwide re registration exercise will run until December 31, 2028. He explained that a pilot phase will begin on August 1, 2026, starting with government vehicles. Registration of all unregistered vehicles will follow on September 1, 2026, after system updates are completed at the end of July.
Mr. Kotey said the new plates will contain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips, allowing instant verification by enforcement agencies. He added that the system will integrate DVLA’s database with other institutions, including the Ghana Highway Authority toll system, the National Insurance Commission motor insurance database, the Ghana Police Service, and the judiciary. This, he said, will help enforcement agencies quickly access vehicle information when needed.
“It is disheartening for state enforcement agencies to request information on vehicles involved in crime, only for the DVLA to be unable to provide it readily,” Mr. Kotey noted. He stressed that the new system will prevent delays in investigations and even bail processes.
The DVLA did not provide an update on the legislation required to support the new system, but Mr. Kotey reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to implementing the framework. He appealed to stakeholders, including driver unions, to support the initiative.
The changes will require amendments to the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180), which defines the format of vehicle number plates. In December 2025, the DVLA suspended implementation of the digital plate policy because the amendment was still before Parliament. The authority had initially planned to roll out the system in January 2026, with new vehicles receiving digital plates first, followed by re registration of more than four million existing vehicles.
The DVLA has also reminded vehicle owners whose vehicles were registered before 2023 to migrate their details from the manual system to the digital platform. Director of Driver Training, Testing and Licensing, Kafui Semenyo, warned that failure to onboard vehicles will prevent owners from obtaining registration certificates and titles, and could lead to sanctions under road traffic law.
