The Vehicle Embossment Association of Ghana (VEMAG) has petitioned the Ministry of Transport to immediately halt the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority’s (DVLA) planned rollout of new digitalised vehicle number plates scheduled for January 2026.

In a strongly worded statement issued to the media and signed by the Association’s Secretary, Victor Twum Koranteng, the Association accused the DVLA of sidelining its key stakeholders and pursuing a poorly planned transition process that threatens the livelihoods of over 3,000 Ghanaian workers in the embossment industry.

According to VEMAG, the DVLA failed to consult the Association despite its historic and legally recognised role as the exclusive embosser of vehicle number plates since the colonial era.

The Association also noted that it has consistently pre-financed every number plate produced for the DVLA and regularly pays taxes, insisting that the new policy appears designed to benefit “friends and cronies” over established Ghanaian businesses.

The Association revealed that the DVLA Chief Executive Officer’s April 2025 announcement of a nationwide changeover to digital plates has left the Authority “ill-prepared,” with the usual embossment timeline already disrupted.

By November each year, VEMAG and the DVLA would typically be embossing plates for the following year, but no such plans are currently underway.

“There is uncertainty among members of VEMAG due to a lack of information on the changeover,” the statement said, calling for a suspension of the programme for at least six months to allow proper planning and engagement.

VEMAG further criticised the DVLA CEO for allegedly inviting foreign companies and embarking on international trips in pursuit of the digital plate agenda—efforts the Association says have yielded no meaningful results and could have been avoided with proper local consultation.

The group also rejected the DVLA’s claim that private embossers are not used anywhere in the world, citing examples from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Nigeria.

It emphasised that Ghana’s own Road Traffic Act mandates the engagement of private companies for number plate embossment.

VEMAG said it is open to technological upgrades and willing to participate in training and modernisation efforts but insists the transition must be conducted gradually and collaboratively to safeguard jobs and ensure a smooth national rollout.

The Association also urged the Ministry of Transport to investigate a claim by the DVLA CEO that three individuals in the embossment sector operate 154 illegal companies — an allegation VEMAG says has caused significant concern among its members.

The Association argued that officially recognised embossment companies do not exceed 50 nationwide and called for any illegal operators to be removed from the DVLA’s records.

VEMAG concluded its petition by cautioning the DVLA against rushing the digitalisation agenda without due process, warning that failure to engage stakeholders could lead to national confusion and embarrassment when the programme is expected to begin in January 2026.