By: Angela Adu-Asomaning
A former Chief Executive of the DVLA, Dr. Justice Amegashie, has charged the Ghana Association of Driving Schools (Ghana Drive) to formulate standardized driver training and road safety awareness programmes. He gave the charge at the inauguration of a six-member national executive of the Association in Accra.
He expressed confidence that the new executives would carry out their duties with professionalism and work towards achieving the goals set for the advancement of road safety and driver education in Ghana.
The Ghana National Association of Driving Schools (Ghana Drive) , an Association consisting of approved driving schools accredited by the Ministry of Transport, has been operating for about 40 years. Currently operating under the supervision of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the association is dedicated to promoting safe driving practices and providing quality driver education.
Its primary objective is to bring together driving schools and concerned individuals to collaborate on initiatives aimed at improving road safety in Ghana. By working together, the association strives to enhance the quality of driver education and training and promote responsible driving in the country. The new Ghana Drive Executive has Francis Yao Agbozo as President. The executives bring a wealth of experience from the transport sector and are committed to ensuring safety on the roads.
Speaking at the event, a former CEO of the DVLA ,Dr. Justice Amegashie, charged the new executives to focus on the opportunities ahead of them. He encouraged them to pursue continuous research to better equip themselves and called for strong collaboration with stakeholders to drive positive change in driver education and road safety.
He said, “Ghana Drive can initiate advocacy for road safety policies such as stricter licensing requirements. They can work with government and law enforcement to support road safety initiatives. Ghana Drive can conduct research on road safety and driver training”.
The immediate past President of Ghana Drive, Rev. Erasmus Amankwah, reflected on the significant progress made during his tenure and proudly noted that in the eight years since taking office, the association’s efforts had been fruitful.
He credited its strong advocacy and significant sacrifices—both physically and financially—for the results achieved. Rev. Amankwah highlighted key milestones, including the establishment of nearly 400 driving schools, with each district having access to driving school services. He also pointed out the introduction of online registration linked to the DVLA, the decentralization of operations with regional branches across the country, as well as the creation of about one thousand, eight hundred jobs, and several other notable achievements.
“Under my watch, Ghana Drive engaged in the retraining of inspectors under a government special initiative. Ghana Drive was instrumental in the development of the L.I. 2180 of 2012. He said a delegation from Nigeria visited Ghana to study Ghana’s best practices” he said.
In his inaugural address, Mr Francis Agbozo outlined his vision for the Association, emphasizing the importance of developing a strategic plan to keep them on track. He highlighted the need to review the Association’s constitution to better benefit its members.
He called for support in resourcing members through knowledge acquisition and logistics.
The president also stressed the significance of training drivers professionally to ensure Ghanaians obtain the necessary licenses, thereby ensuring compliance with road traffic regulations and contributing to road safety.
He said “I am going to develop a strategic plan for this association where we have a vision and mission to give us direction. My next vision is to complete the review of the driving association’s constitution. We also have a task; our task is to train the drivers and make sure we put qualified drivers on the road. It is not only for our benefit, but for the benefit of the nation”.
Deputy Director, Driver Training, Testing, and Licensing (DTTL) at the DVLA, Mr Emmanuel Klugah assured the newly elected members of the DVLA’s support. He also called on driving schools to submit their re-registration forms early enough to remain active in the system to avoid being removed from the list.
