The High Court of Ghana has rejected two interim motions that sought to bar the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority from advancing with the production and circulation of vehicle registration plates designated for the 2026 cycle, delivering a significant procedural victory to the state regulator amid an escalating contractual dispute.
The applications, initiated by twenty six private number plate embossment enterprises together with their umbrella association, were designed to temporarily suspend implementation of a newly granted manufacturing and embossment agreement pending judicial resolution of the principal lawsuit. The motions, submitted on December 22, 2025 and January 5, 2026 respectively, were vigorously advanced before the bench on Tuesday by legal representatives acting on behalf of the claimants.
The first request petitioned the court to impose an injunction preventing the DVLA and the beneficiary of the contested contract from fabricating or distributing registration plates until the substantive matter is conclusively adjudicated. The second motion pursued a broader restraint, urging the court to prohibit the defendants from producing or circulating plates in any configuration, inclusive of digitised formats, until final determination of the action.
In a decisive ruling, the presiding judge dismissed both applications, holding that the interlocutory relief sought was devoid of sufficient legal foundation to justify restraining the statutory mandate of the authority at this preliminary stage.
Notwithstanding the setback, the plaintiffs continue to press their substantive claim, in which they seek a declaration that the 2026 embossment arrangement is invalid and legally unenforceable. They contend that a prior authorisation granted by the DVLA to twenty seven of their members to undertake embossment services, reinforced by longstanding operational conventions spanning several decades, generated a binding and legitimate expectation that has not been expressly revoked. On that basis, they argue that the abrupt award of a consolidated contract constitutes a breach of administrative fairness and commercial continuity.
The claimants further assert that the regulator remains indebted to several of their members for pre financing earlier embossment assignments, alleging that outstanding payments have not been fully settled. This financial dimension, they suggest, compounds the alleged procedural impropriety surrounding the new award.
The dispute unfolds as the DVLA advances plans to roll out digitised vehicle registration plates beginning in January 2026, a reform framed by the authority as a modernisation initiative aimed at enhancing traceability, curbing counterfeiting and strengthening road safety compliance. The plaintiffs, while professing support for technological advancement, insist that their members have been sidelined from the transition process. They argue that the conventional embossment cycle should have commenced in October 2025 with the distribution of blank plates to accredited operators, an exercise they say did not materialise despite public pronouncements.
According to court filings, the DVLA Chief Executive notified the group on October 27, 2025 that the manufacturing and embossment concession had been conferred upon Dr Nyarko Esumadu Appiah of Original Manufacturing and Embossment, also known as Daasebre. That communication was subsequently reaffirmed by the Deputy Chief Executive. The plaintiffs characterise the consolidation of both manufacturing and embossment functions under a single contractor as inequitable and contrary to established administrative practice, emphasising that for roughly thirty years the two functions were deliberately separated to mitigate potential conflicts of interest.
In addition, the plaintiffs allege infractions of the Public Procurement Act, 2003, maintaining that the contract in question was neither publicly advertised nor subjected to approval for sole sourcing by the Public Procurement Authority. They argue that these omissions render the award procedurally defective and susceptible to nullification.
As part of their proposed remedy, the embossment firms advocate a six month postponement of the digitisation rollout to facilitate structured stakeholder consultations and comprehensive operational planning. They caution that absent judicial redress, more than three thousand employees engaged by their member companies could encounter acute economic distress, given the potential displacement of existing service providers.
While the High Court’s refusal to grant interim relief allows the DVLA to proceed with preparatory activities for the 2026 registration cycle, the substantive litigation remains pending. The eventual determination of the case is poised to clarify the contours of administrative discretion, procurement compliance and legitimate expectation within Ghana’s public contracting framework, with ramifications extending beyond the vehicle licensing regime into the broader architecture of state commercial engagements.
