Ghana Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) on Tuesday launched West Africa’s first smart drivers’ licenses.
This follows the introduction of Ghana’s new National Identification Card, signaling an era of contemporary robust identification that would expedite Ghana’s development drive.
According to officials, the new digital card will fast-track the acquisition of new drivers’ licenses as applicants will now be able to obtain it within two to four weeks of application. Furthermore, the digital card is expected to improve dwindling revenue from the DVLA.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority’s Deputy CEO, Kwame Appiah Kubi, said the move is borne out of the important need to have a portable device that would store all pieces of information that were originally stored on the paper of Vehicle Registration Certificate as well as the Form A and Form C.
The card, wholly designed and produced in Ghana, is benchmarked to the latest cutting-edge international security standards. It has a contactless chip to promote good storage of bio-data and personal driver information. It is also part of the government’s target to remove the human interface from the process of issuing new licensing.