The Vehicle Embossment Association of Ghana (VEMAG) has filed an injunction at the High Court in Accra seeking to restrain the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) from rolling out a digital or any new vehicle number plate registration system beginning January 2026.
The suit was filed on Monday, December 22, 2025, by BEMENCO Embossment Ltd and 26 other plaintiffs, all members of VEMAG.
The injunction application asks that the DVLA be prevented from introducing digitalised vehicle number plates or any new registration plates until the court determines the merits of the case. The plaintiffs also seek to stop the DVLA from implementing any alternative arrangement for the embossment and supply of vehicle number plates outside the existing framework involving licensed embossers.
The plaintiffs argue that the DVLA awarded both manufacturing and embossment contracts to a single entity, describing the decision as illegal, discriminatory and an abuse of administrative authority, particularly in overlooking dozens of Ghanaian owned companies that have invested heavily in the sector. According to VEMAG, the DVLA Chief Executive Officer informed members at an October 27, 2025 meeting that the authority had awarded the contract for both manufacture and embossment of number plates to one individual, Dr Nyarko Esumadu Appiah of Original Manufacturing and Embossment.
The association contends that the DVLA violated the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) by failing to advertise for tenders or obtain approval from the Public Procurement Authority to sole source the contract. VEMAG is seeking declarations that the DVLA’s refusal to allocate blank registration plates for 2026 is unlawful and constitutes a breach of contract.
The plaintiffs warned that the DVLA’s actions could have severe socio economic consequences, stating that members of the association collectively employed over 3,000 workers across the country and that disengaging them abruptly would jeopardise livelihoods nationwide. They expressed concern that the public could be inconvenienced at the start of the year if the DVLA is unable to register vehicles and issue plates due to the injunction.
VEMAG members were required to acquire specialised embossment equipment that met DVLA specifications, at costs ranging between GH¢70,000 and GH¢1 million per unit. The association claims that over the years, embossers have pre financed the production of vehicle number plates, producing and supplying plates to the DVLA, which sells them before settling payments to the embossers. According to VEMAG, the DVLA still owes some members arrears for plates already produced.
The DVLA’s new number plate regime seeks to enhance vehicle security by tying plates to individual owners, eliminating registration year markings, and introducing zonal and regional identifiers. The digital plates will feature RFID chips, Ghana Card integration, online number reservation, and enhanced security architecture. New registrations will commence on January 1, 2026, while existing vehicles, estimated at over four million, will undergo re registration between April 2026 and December 2027.
VEMAG argues that the approvals granted by the DVLA, coupled with the consistent conduct of both parties over three decades, amounted to an enforceable contract for the embossment of vehicle number plates. The association contends that by this time of year, production for the following year would normally have been completed, but the DVLA’s failure to make allocations has created uncertainty and disrupted established processes.
The plaintiffs are seeking an order compelling the DVLA to continue engaging licensed embossers for 2026 and beyond, along with costs including solicitors’ fees and any further relief the court may deem fit.
