By: Nyarko Abronomaa Walker
The Senior Presidential Advisor, Mr. Yaw Osarfo Marfo, has hinted of the World Bank’s plans to release a second trench of grant to the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority-DVLA, for the phase II of its funded Public Sector Reforms for Results Project, after successful implementation of the phase I of the project.
According to the Senior Presidential Advisor, the Bretton Woods (the World Bank) institution is highly satisfied with DVLA’s rapid transformation under the current administration. He was speaking in Accra on Wednesday at DVLA’s 25th Anniversary Public Lecture under the theme: “Navigating the Future: Innovating and Excelling Public Service”, as Special Guest of Honour.
Mr. Osarfo Marfo declared the news to the guests. “I am happy to note that DVLA was part of the selected entities under the World Bank funded Public Sector Reforms for Results Project implemented under the supervision of the Office of the Senior Presidential Advisor”, he stressed. The Senior Presidential Advisor continued.
“The support to DVLA was under the component: Improving Efficiency, Accountability and Citizen Engagement in the Delivery of Selected Services”.
The support has improved the services of DVLA, reducing the time to register vehicles by streamlining vehicle inspection and registration processes and systems.
The World Bank also supported the driver licencing agency in implementing capacity-building, as well as training, provided knowledge-sharing opportunities to improve DVLA’s technical capabilities for driver training, testing and licencing for vehicle inspection and registration.
Addressing his guests, the Chief Executive of DVLA, Mr. Kwasi Agyeman Busia, said the chosen theme reflects DVLA’s commitment in advancing innovation, service excellence, with improved service delivery to DVLA’s clients, contributing her quota to the development of Ghana.
He said DVLA, which was labeled by Transparency International some few years back as the most corrupt institution in Ghana, is now described as the best public institution in Ghana by the same organisation.
Mr. Agyeman Busia used the occasion to call on his hardworking staff and all stakeholders to sustain DVLA’s achievements going forward.
A Guest of Honour, Prof. Stephen Adei, encouraged DVLA to stem out the “Goro Boys” syndrome until it is totally out of the system. Expressing concern over the effects of galamsey on Ghana, Prof. Adei seized the opportunity to call on government to declare the fight a “state of emergency” to deal with the menace.
In an interview with the Deputy Chief Executive, in charge of Operations, Mr. Prince Opoku Edusei, on some successes of DVLA, said implementation of eye testing reforms, involving qualified optometrists has helped reduce road crashes, adding that, introduction of the Vehicle Registration System-VRS has removed manual way of doing things at DVLA.
He noted that DVLA now issues smart cards and vehicle title certificates that represents a vehicle’s documents for ease of providing services.
The old Vehicle Examination and Licencing Division-VELD was in charge of vehicle inspection, registration and licencing, until 1999, when the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority Act (Act 569) was declared to establish the driver licencing agency as an authority to promote good driving standards in the country and to ensure roadworthy vehicles on our roads.
Former Chief Executives of DVLA, Dr. Justice Yaw Amegashie, the first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu, members from the academia, industry players and stakeholders in the transport sector, attended the DVLA’s 25th Anniversary Public Lecture at the Cedi Conference Centre in the University of Ghana.
