DVLA introduces digitized license system
The Management and Board of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has introduced a high security and digitized trade licensing with the aim of improving efficiency and security.
A statement issued by the DVLA and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the introduction would also improve revenue generation at the ports on imported vehicles.
The DVLA is working within its mandate to contribute to the overall government agenda of digitizing the economy whilst significantly enhancing the ease of doing business in the country.
“Notwithstanding the increased security of the system and process improvements, the cost of acquiring a DP License remains unchanged at GH¢154.00,” the statement said.
It said the upgrade of the DP License from the current insecure metal plate to a secure electronic DP STICKER is also to enable the DVLA introduce cutting edge technology to the management of the DP License.
The statement said the upgrade will ensure that those intending to fake the DP License will not be able to do so.
It said the digitization is part of the DVLA’s long-term plan to secure the entire vehicle registration regime in the country and ensure that it meets acceptable standards.
The statement said with the new DP license, power has been given to the citizens and law enforcement officers to verify the validity of DP License at any given time using various devices including a YAM phone via USSD and barcode scanners.
It said this new DP LICENSE is environmentally friendly, bio degradable and has low carbon footprint as compared to the metal plates which the DVLA adopted years ago.
Previously the law enforcement agencies could not check if a vehicle was using a valid DP license on the road or not, the statement said.
However, with the new digitized DP license, this is now a given possibility since the law enforcement officers and the public can check the authenticity and validity of a DP license on a real time basis.
Other West African countries like Togo and Ivory Coast currently issue digitized trade licenses, which has helped them to work with Interpol and other international law agencies to track stolen vehicles at the points of entry whilst generating more revenue for government, it said.
The statement said distributors and agents at the ports have welcomed the system and think the smart solution was more convenient than the manual metal plate system.
It said they claimed this solution will increase transparency and accountability and should be expanded to all the entry points to block the leakages and increase government revenues.
The current Board and Management of the DVLA has embraced technology and would continue to improve services to the public to support government’s drive to increase its revenue.
Source: GNA