ACCRA, Ghana — Ghana’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has gotten in a bit of controversy stemming from comments made by its CEO to send staff overseas to help with renewal of licenses for Ghanaians in the diaspora.
Julius Neequaye Kotey, CEO of DVLA, speaking on Wednesday at the commissioning of a new regional office in Kumasi, stated that they had received approval from the foreign ministry to send staff overseas to provide driver’s license services.
“Some of you, the DVLA staff, you are travelling overseas,” Mr. Kotey told a room of employees, his words captured on video and quickly circulated on social media.
He detailed an ambitious plan to station Ghanaian bureaucrats in five countries—the United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom—to process driver’s licenses for the diaspora. “We will be there to do it for them,” he promised.
In the video shared online, the CEO amusingly teases someone in the audience on adding them to the staff roster. “I see you’re smiling. I’ll add you, don’t worry,” he joked.
But by Thursday morning, a wave of public indignation broke over his comments.
In response, DVLA issued a stern press release characterizing the very reports based on the CEO’s filmed remarks as “misleading.”
The agency insisted it had no intention of sending its own staff abroad. Instead, it claimed, the work would be handled by existing embassy personnel who would merely be “trained” by the DVLA.
The DVLA’s clarification attempted to paint the initiative as a lean, collaborative effort with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Under the “new” version of the plan, embassy staff would verify documents and mail them back to Ghana for processing.
Public Backlash
The backlash was swift and bipartisan. On social media, Ghanaians questioned why a country currently navigating a complex debt restructuring would prioritize the convenience of citizens in Virginia or Berlin over the notorious queues and “goro boys” (middlemen) that plague local licensing offices in Accra and Kumasi.
The controversy comes at a sensitive time for the DVLA. Under Mr. Kotey’s leadership, the agency has tried to modernize, introducing biometric licenses and digital portals.
Yet the “Overseas Plan” has become a symbol of what some might call “official disconnect.”
In its statement, the DVLA highlighted its “open-door policy” and urged the media to “seek clarification” before publishing—a suggestion that many found ironic, given that the most damning evidence against the agency was the recorded voice of its own Chief Executive.
DVLA Issues Second Statement
The DVLA issued a second statement acknowledging the public outcry. The institution says it would review its approach and explore alternative options for Ghanaians in the diaspora.
Update: We updated our article to highlight DVLA’s issuance of a second official statement
