DVLA to stop importing number plates as new factory takes shape
Ghana's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority says it will manufacture and emboss its own number plates, ending reliance on imports and third-party production. A new manufacturing centre in Accra is expected to begin producing RFID-enabled plates within three months, as the DVLA seeks to improve plate security and curb fake registrations.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) says it will stop relying on imported and third-party-produced vehicle number plates as it moves to manufacture and emboss the plates itself.
The authority has begun constructing a number plate manufacturing centre in Accra, which it expects to complete within three months.
The facility will be located at the DVLA's Greater Accra Regional Office and is expected to produce new number plates embedded with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.
DVLA Chief Executive Julius Neequaye Kortey cut the sod for construction of the centre on Friday, August 28.
The authority says the project is part of reforms aimed at improving the security and quality of vehicle number plates in Ghana.
Mr Kortey said the centre would also help address concerns about fake number plates entering the system.
“When we manufacture our plates, we will distribute them to our offices for embossment,” he said.
Plates closer to motorists
The DVLA plans to distribute embossment machines across the country once the manufacturing centre becomes operational.
Mr Kortey said every region would receive an embossment machine, while Greater Accra and Ashanti regions would receive five and three machines respectively because of the larger number of vehicles there.
The current system is different: the DVLA does not manufacture or emboss number plates itself, with plates imported or produced by third parties.
Mr Kortey said the new system was intended to make the authority more self-reliant while improving the quality and security of number plates.
He said the DVLA would not seek to prevent private embossers from operating, but would regulate the sector.
“What we are saying is that the era where anyone gets the means to manufacture or emboss number plates is a thing of the past. DVLA will regulate embossers to do things right,” he said.
The authority said qualified embossers would continue to operate across the country.
Three-month target
If completed on schedule, the new manufacturing centre could begin producing RFID-enabled vehicle number plates within three months.
The DVLA says the system is intended to ensure a more reliable supply of high-quality plates while helping to curb fake number plates.
For now, the project marks a significant change in the way Ghana's vehicle plates are expected to be produced and distributed.