We’ll meet you in court – DVLA boss fires back at VEMAG over injunction on new number plates – MyJoyOnline

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Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey

The Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, has reacted strongly to a court injunction filed by members of the Vehicle Embossment Association of Ghana (VEMAG) against the planned rollout of a new digital vehicle number plate registration system.

The injunction seeks to halt the implementation of the new system, which is scheduled to begin in January 2026.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, December 24, Mr Kotey said he was surprised by the legal action, particularly as the company awarded the contract had expressed willingness to collaborate with all stakeholders, including existing embossment companies.

“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,” he stated.

Mr Kotey insisted that the DVLA followed due process in awarding the contract and said the Authority was fully 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 said.

The comments follow an injunction application filed at the High Court in Accra by BEMENCO Embossment Ltd and 26 other members of VEMAG. The applicants are seeking to restrain the DVLA from introducing digitalised vehicle number plates or implementing any new vehicle registration system from January 2026.

According to the plaintiffs, the DVLA’s decision to award both the manufacture and embossment of number plates to a single company represents a departure from long-standing practice and violates existing contractual arrangements with licensed embossers.

The new system is intended to replace the current decentralised embossment arrangement with a fully digitalised process designed to improve efficiency, security, and traceability in vehicle registration.

Despite the legal challenge, Mr Kotey maintained that the reforms are necessary and in the public interest. He stressed that while the DVLA remains open to engagement, it will not abandon reforms aimed at modernising the vehicle registration regime.

The matter is expected to be determined by the courts. Meanwhile, the DVLA boss has announced the suspension of the rollout, which was scheduled for January 2, 2026.

Despite the court action, which was filed only this Monday, the DVLA claims the decision to suspend the rollout is due to the failure to secure the necessary amendments to the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180), which specifies the contents and format of vehicle plates.

In a statement, the Authority explained that while Parliament successfully amended the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), the specific provisions in L.I. 2180 had not been passed before Parliament went on recess on Friday, December 19, 2025.

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