The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has announced plans to decentralise the printing of driver’s licences to its offices across the country as part of efforts to end prolonged delays faced by applicants.

Under the new system, DVLA offices will be equipped to print driver’s licences locally, eliminating the current reliance on a centralised printing facility at the Authority’s head office.

The existing system, which depends on only two machines at the head office to serve the entire country, has resulted in applicants waiting several months for their licences, with some delays reportedly lasting up to a year.

The announcement was made during the commissioning of a new DVLA office at Amrahia in the Adenta Municipality on Friday, August 21.

Speaking at the ceremony, DVLA Chief Executive Julius Neequaye Kotey said the decentralisation programme would allow individual offices to print licences and significantly reduce delays.

He explained, however, that instant printing will initially apply only to replacement cards.

Applicants seeking a new driver’s licence will still be required to complete the mandatory three-month licensing process before receiving their cards.

“Every office will now print, but we are printing instantly for only replacement of cards. When your six years have expired, we will now print for you instantly,” Mr Kotey said.

He said applicants applying for a new licence must complete the required three-month process, describing the requirement as an international standard.

“But when you are coming for a new licence, you have to go through the three months before you get your card. That is ISO; it goes beyond Ghana. It is an international standard,” he said.

Mr Kotey said the decentralisation was intended to bring an end to the situation where applicants could wait months after paying for their licences before receiving their cards.

The DVLA is expected to roll out the decentralised printing system across its offices as part of broader efforts to improve service delivery and reduce waiting times for motorists nationwide.