DVLA officials and traditional leaders cutting the tape to commission the new office
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) is poised to transform the way and manner in which it tests and trains drivers in the country.
According to the DVLA, the introduction of simulators and other related services would play a significant role in ensuring that new drivers and those renewing their licenses have acquired the skills and training required to stay safe on the road.
The authority is also piloting the execution of electronic vehicle registration to help revolutionize the way vehicles are registered in Ghana.
When fully deployed, Ghana would be one of the first countries in the world that is able to completely register a vehicle within an hour.
The authority is also partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency to implement national standards on vehicle emissions to help reduce air pollutants.
Chief Executive of DVLA, Kwasi Agyeman Busia, disclosed this at the official commissioning of a new DVLA office in Tarkwa in the Western Region.
It was part of efforts to decentralize the process of acquiring drivers’ licences, and to bring DVLA services to the doorsteps of people.
The commencement of DVLA’s operations in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality would save drivers and other transport operators the cost of travelling to the regional capital, Sekondi-Takoradi, to acquire their licences.
He noted that the DVLA was optimizing its mobile services to bring DVLA services to the people as it continued to work towards the construction of DVLA offices in all districts.
He mentioned that the infusion of technology for speed and convenience in the DVLA Tertiary Drive project would make it simple and easy for tertiary students to get driver licenses before they graduated from school.
Mr. Busia added that the execution of the digitization of transport services would fully regulate the use of private vehicles for commercial activities.
He indicated that safe driving required clear central and adequate peripheral vision which was extremely important to DVLA’s core mandate, which was road safety.
The Board Chairman of DVLA, Frank Davies, was happy that currently DVLA clients could procure their licenses in less than 30 minutes for those who applied for prestige service.
The Western Regional Licensing Manager, Emmanuel Narh, mentioned that the Tarkwa office used to operate in a self-contained apartment due to some challenges with infrastructure.
The Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Licensing Manager, Kwasi Bona Otuo-Srebuor, gave an assurance that his outfit would deliver fast, reliable and convenient services to drivers who would patronize their service.
He further entreated customers to transact business with only accredited staff of DVLA with identity tags, adding that the ‘Goro’ boys might swindle unsuspecting drivers.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Tarkwa