By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has clarified reports suggesting it plans to establish full-scale driver licensing operations in selected foreign countries, describing such media headlines as misleading.
According to the authority, it has entered into an arrangement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to collaborate with Ghana’s Embassies in selected countries to provide specific services to qualified Ghanaian citizens living abroad.
The services to be offered include the issuance of International Driving Permits and the renewal of Ghanaian driver’s licences.
The pilot phase of the initiative will be rolled out in the United States, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Under the implementation plan, Embassy staff in these countries will be trained to verify applicants’ documents and forward them to the DVLA in Ghana for processing. Once processed, the documents will be returned to the respective embassies for collection by applicants.
The authority emphasised that the arrangement does not involve posting its domestic staff to embassies abroad, contrary to some reports.
Management reaffirmed its commitment to bringing services closer to Ghanaians to minimise defaults and promote compliance. It also reiterated its open-door policy, encouraging the media and the public to seek clarification from its Corporate Affairs Department to avoid inaccurate reporting.
