The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has taken punitive action against some private vehicle testing stations for prioritising the number of vehicles inspected over the quality of safety checks.
The Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Julius Neequaye Kotey, said monitoring exercises had exposed lapses in the inspection processes of some stations responsible for assessing vehicles before issuing roadworthiness stickers.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, October 12, 2026, Mr Kotey said the situation was a concern, given the responsibility placed on private testing stations to determine whether vehicles were fit for use on Ghana’s roads.
“The phenomenon of rickety vehicles on our roads remains of critical concern to us,” he said, adding that the law requires testing stations to examine vehicles before issuing roadworthiness stickers.
He further criticised stations that focus on the number of vehicles processed rather than the thoroughness of their inspections.
“Unfortunately, our monitoring exercises have revealed that some of these stations take delight in the numbers rather than the quality of inspection. We have taken some punitive actions against a couple of them,” he said.
As part of efforts to tighten supervision, the DVLA is planning to introduce a system requiring private vehicle testing stations to transmit images and videos of inspections in real time.
Mr Kotey said the proposed system would allow the Authority’s monitoring room to observe inspection activities across the country and verify that the required checks had been carried out.
