The Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, has acknowledged widespread complaints about fading 2026 vehicle number plates and announced that affected vehicle owners will receive free replacements.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen on Monday, August 3, Mr Kotey admitted that many of the number plates issued this year had experienced fading due to production challenges.

“I will admit that most of the numbers are fading,” he said.

Explaining the cause of the problem, the DVLA boss revealed that the authority faced a major setback in January 2026 after nearly all the companies contracted to emboss number plates suspended their services.

According to him, about 160 companies were engaged by the DVLA nationwide to produce number plates, but 159 of them boycotted the exercise following a disagreement over an existing contract.

“In January 2026, we had issues with the number plate embossers. We had about 160 companies cutting number plates for the whole of Ghana. About 159 of them met and decided they would no longer produce number plates for us because they wanted me to cancel a contract that had been signed before I assumed office, and I said that would be wrong,” he explained.

“They did that so that I would be sacked,” he claimed.

He said the situation left only one company to produce number plates for the entire country, resulting in production pressure that affected the quality of the plates.

“It was only one company producing for the whole of Ghana, so I am sure the three-layer coating was not properly applied because of the pressure on them,” he said.

Mr Kotey assured motorists that the DVLA has put measures in place to address the issue and urged all owners of vehicles with faded number plates to visit any DVLA office for a replacement.

“If your number plate is fading, take it to any DVLA office and we will replace it for you at no cost,” he said.

He further disclosed that the authority is introducing a new generation of number plates that will eliminate the fading problem.

“Thankfully, all that is coming to an end. With the new number plates, it is not paint but an electronic system, so they will not fade,” he added.