The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has registered more than 7,700 excavators under a new initiative with the Minerals Commission to improve the identification and tracking of the machines operating in Ghana.

DVLA Chief Executive Officer Julius Neequaye Kotey disclosed this at the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House on Monday, October 12, 2026.

He said the initiative was intended to address a gap in monitoring excavators imported into the country, explaining that there had previously been no dedicated system for registering the machines.

“Before assuming office, there had been no means of registration of excavators coming into the country,” Mr Kotey said.

He explained that excavators could previously be cleared through the ports and transported to their operational locations without a dedicated registration mechanism to support their identification and tracking.

The collaboration with the Minerals Commission had now provided a platform to register the machines, with more than 7,700 captured so far, he said.

The initiative is expected to improve oversight by making it easier to identify excavators and maintain records of equipment operating across the country.

Mr Kotey said the excavator registration exercise formed part of wider efforts to modernise the DVLA’s systems and strengthen regulatory compliance.

He also highlighted the acquisition of On-Board Diagnostics devices to help identify suspicious vehicles and the introduction of tamper-proof dealer’s plate stickers.

The Authority is also planning to introduce radio-frequency identification (RFID)-enabled number plates.

Mr Kotey said the measures were intended to strengthen identification, support enforcement and protect public revenue.