The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has reported a sharp increase in revenue from temporary vehicle registration stickers issued at Ghana’s ports, alongside a rise in its annual financial surplus from GH¢5 million in 2024 to GH¢25 million in 2025.
Chief Executive Julius Neequaye Kotey attributed the improvement partly to measures introduced to close revenue leakages in the distribution of dealer plates, known as DP plates, at the ports of entry.
The Authority replaced aluminium DP plates with tamper-proof digital stickers to ensure that imported vehicles receive the required identification before leaving the ports, a change that has significantly increased recorded issuance.
Monthly issuance, which averaged between 1,800 and 1,900 before the change, exceeded 5,000 in the first month of implementation and rose above 15,000 by October 2025.
The DVLA issued 76,312 DP plates in 2024, generating approximately GH¢15 million in revenue. In 2025, it issued 111,101 stickers, generating about GH¢22 million. From January to September 2026, Kotey said revenue from the stickers had exceeded GH¢27 million.
“It is factual that revenue is on the increase,” he said, citing the figures as evidence of improved revenue collection following the introduction of the digital stickers.
The Authority has also deployed on-board diagnostic (OBD) devices to verify vehicle identification numbers and detect suspected cases of vehicle cloning and customs evasion.
Kotey said 357 vehicles had been impounded and handed over to the Ghana Revenue Authority by October 9, 2026, to ensure payment of the appropriate customs duties before registration.
The DVLA has also reported substantial savings following a review of service-level agreements covering roadworthiness certificates. Kotey said the previous commitments amounted to US$51.8 million annually, or US$155.4 million over three years.
After renegotiations, he said the agreement was reduced to GH¢2 million for the 2026–2028 period.
The Authority also contributed GH¢17.7 million to the Consolidated Fund and GH¢80.4 million to the Road Fund in 2025, bringing its reported contributions to the two funds to GH¢98.1 million.
Kotey described the Consolidated Fund payment as a milestone, noting that it was the first such contribution since the DVLA became semi-autonomous in 2016. The GH¢80.4 million contribution to the Road Fund was also the highest in the Authority’s history, he said.
The DVLA’s 2025 financial performance reflects higher revenue collection and increased contributions to public funds. With further measures targeting revenue leakages and customs compliance, the Authority seeks to strengthen its finances while ensuring more of its activities translate into revenue for the state.
